Turning straw into gold may be the stuff of fairy tales, but turning it into a solidly-built house was a dream come true for Heather Bathon and Michael Furbish. The couple wanted to make their home in Pasadena, Maryland, as environmentally-friendly as possible.
With the help of Sigi Koko, a trained architect and sustainable building materials expert, they built a straw bale home that is reminiscent of a centuries old farmhouse. The couple has also tried to use recycled materials as much as possible. The fireplace mantel and hearthstone are old granite street curbing while the sides are marble from the front steps of a Baltimore row house. The kitchen sink came from a high school science lab, while the pots and pans hang from a wrought iron gate.
