As we close out the first decade of the 21st century, contemporary design finds itself at an interesting crossroads. Lovers of modernity still want slick, streamlined architecture and interior décor, but now there’s a growing importance placed on green living. Concern for the environment has translated, not only to greater power efficiency and recycling, but also to popular color choices. It seems designers are taking being “green” quite literally.

The Arezzo Park Hotel opened in Arezzo, Italy in 2009. The hotel well encompasses the current trend of spare or utilitarian shapes with curved (or absent) edges. While all walls an fixtures are white, floors in the rooms are made of 3 shades of plush green moquette, which creates a “virtual lawn.” In this way guests are treated to all the finest in modern accommodations, while maintaining a connection to the natural world. The hotel “means to represent the manifesto of a new possible sustainable Hotel dimension,” says Architect Simone Micheli.

Nat Fine Bio Foods opened in Hamburg, Germany to unite two contemporary inclinations: fast food and healthy natural food. Architects eins:eins relied on the phrase “nature comes to the city” to create the space for the flagship restaurant. While the design, with its natural wood and plant art, clearly communicates an attempt to return to nature, it doesn’t sacrifice a modern taste for clean lines. The restaurant consists of a take-out counter, dining area, and a lounge featuring adjustable island couches. The seating embodies the intersection of values in the space, with strict geometric shapes crafted in a light green color.

Langland advertising agency in Windsor, England is the recent recipient of a fresh new office space by Jump Studios. The agency specializes in healthcare advertising and was seeking to dispel stereotypes about the niche. “We wanted to show that while tiles generally have a conventional, domestic aesthetic they can be applied to unconventional effect,” says Jump Studios director Shaun Fernandes. “And teamed with the green it doesn’t look too clinical, which was important.” Even in an office whose manifesto says nothing about sustainability or nature, green and white are chosen for a forward-thinking color scheme.

In homes, hotels, workplaces, and dining spaces the fresh combo of green and white has become the banner of modern design’s confrontation of present concerns and future outlook.

Photography by Jürgen Eheim, Studio Uwe Gärtner, and Jump Studios via Contemporist.com