1st Look Exteriors helps seamlessly blend indoor and outdoor living spaces. “Outdoor furniture needs to blend with the outside elements,” Greg explains. “Living things change constantly, but the structural elements always stay the same.”

Husband-and-wife team Greg Lee and Terri Rios-Lee are used to thinking green. After years of working up to their elbows in earth with their award-winning landscape design/build company, Tropical Images Inc., the Lees have become acutely aware of how one person’s actions can affect everyone’s environment.

The real “ah-ha!” moment for the couple, however, came in the ’90s while working with young students around Oahu. Creating community gardens with the kids, the Lees realized they couldn’t expose potentially harmful products to the children. The chemicals, pesticides and fertilizers had to go. As Terri recalls, “We had to rethink how we did everything. We needed to do something better for them.”

1st Look Exteriors has evolved from the Lees thinking differently to a showcase of what’s possible. The loftlike showroom is an exemplary oasis of hand-picked, exciting new products that are both responsible and beautiful. One look around the showroom proves there is an increasingly wide range of looks for sustainable furniture and accessories, from simple to modern to fashion forward to high end.

As frequent travelers to Mainland design shows, the Lees bring back the newest and coolest ecofriendly options. They’ve found Adirondack-style outdoor furniture made of recycled plastic milk jugs that comes in many stylish colors and can be left outside in full sun or rain. And a classically modern outdoor dining table made of recycled composite and nontoxic resin that is sturdy, stable and will last 10 to 20 years longer than standard plastic outdoor furniture.

Stamped with the Hawaii Seal of Quality: Terri Rios-Lee salvages real flowers and leaves and covers them in recycled copper. The pieces can be used as jewelry, wall accents, sculptural pieces or other adornments. Frozen forever each piece comes with a card describing its usage and cultural significance. Terri’s copper art is the first art agricultural product to receive the Hawaii Seal of Quality.

“Green quality is extremely good. Though it sometimes costs more, you’re investing in the quality,” Greg says. The Lees have made it a point to keep their showroom’s ever-changing inventory accessible to all. “Anyone can come in and find something green and affordable,” he adds.
Ultimately, there are shades to living a greener lifestyle and the Lees want homeowners to know they have options. “Green isn’t typically what you think it is,” Terri says. “Green can be beautiful.”

1st Look Exteriors
94-422 Ukee St., #3, Waipahu
Open: Mon. by appointment. Tues.-Fri.,
10 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Sat. 10a.m. - 3 p.m.
Tel: 676-8988
www.1stlookexteriors.com