A shop on Montreal's Boulevard St. Laurent is lighting the way to the sustainable future in decor.

Galerie CO is Sarah Richardson's passion, a place where she has been able to join her enthusiasm for the work of cutting edge designers with her belief in supporting art that focuses on recycling and sustainability. She calls it CO, because those two letters are the thread that bind the elements she wishes to highlight: eCOnomy, eCOlogy and COmmunity.

"We specialize in sustainable design for the home in a setting that is as much art gallery as it is retail shop,' says Richardson, who opened in 2008. A lawyer by profession, she was born in Kingston, raised in Africa and schooled in England, and spent 15 years working on sustainable trade issues with governments, international organizations and NGOs.

She was working with the European Commission when they were signing agreements with African countries that dealt with the use of sustainable material — and the idea for CO was born.

"I saw people in South Africa who were making beautiful pieces, and I wanted to show great sustainable pieces from all over the world," she says. Her early African focus now includes designers and design companies from around the world — and in Montreal.

Lighting is a feature here. Wire and paper fixtures in the shape of African animal heads adorn a wall, made by fair-trade accredited Streetwires based in Cape Town, South Africa. "The company trains unemployed people to do bead and wire work, and papier-mache light fixtures," Richardson says.

In the bright front window, she has strung several circular hanging lamps from Norway, made of sustainable birch ply, laser-cut with an evergreen motif. Another row of hanging lights adorns the shop counter, these an explosion of bright flowers made of recycled plastic by Heath Nash, a Cape Town artist who exhibits widely and gives workshops on eco-design all over the world (www.heathnash.com).

Her latest project is an upcoming show featuring the work of New Zealander David Trubridge, an international lighting artist now represented in Canada only at Galerie CO. Named one of the 15 top designers in the world, he has exhibited at major design shows and, in 2007, received New Zealand's highest design award.

Trubridge's latest lighting innovation, a series known as Coral and Floral, will be shown, including the Coloured Corals that were launched at the 2010 Milan Furniture Fair.

"The material is bamboo ply, all natural and sustainable," Richardson says. "His work is inspired by wild landscapes, by natural images, shapes and objects, and he cares about how things are made and used. He's a perfect fit for us."

Knowing the artists is an integral part of doing business, Richardson believes. "Designers and materials matter, so we know where everything comes from and who makes it. Because I know their story, I have a sense of confidence in their work."

CO is also the first place in Canada to carry furniture by STAACH, a company from Rochester, New York, that creates furniture in a LEED-certified factory using sustainably sourced wood and no toxic glues. "Their tables, chairs, kitchen stools and benches have clean lines and a Scandinavian feel," she says.

From northern England, designer Richard Little has created chairs made from coloured plastic bottles transformed into ribbons then wrapped around a form. "He made only 25 in this series," says Richardson, "and they were shown at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London."

While she admits Little's chairs are among her higher priced pieces, at $1,825 each, the emphasis even here is on both innovation and practicality. Other furniture pieces include colourful stools inspired by African headrests from South African designer Ryan Frank, made of spruce ply, and the recycled cardboard bookcases from A4A Design in Milan.

Whether you're buying or just looking, this gallery space is a setting for appreciating incredible design, Richardson says. "I've chosen so carefully. I love being able to bring these pieces to Montreal and have space in which to show them to people."

For more information, visit www.galerie-co.com.