Sitting in her White Rock home, interior designer Ami McKay emits a warm, relaxed vibe. It's surprising when you consider that at the time, Oprah Winfrey's staff has just phoned her to discuss possibly featuring her new line of eco-friendly furniture in O at Home Magazine.

"I was so surprised when I was contacted by them to tell me that Oprah's magazine wanted to do a three-page feature titled Women Who Make Beautiful Things," says McKay.

"They said, 'We just viewed your website and we adore what you do."

Her voice drops to an incredulous hush. "They just kept saying that. Of course I'm so excited."

Then came the excruciating wait for confirmation. "I tried to phone them back but I missed them because of the time change between New York and here," McKay says. "I sat at my desk, surprised yet calm ... then on Sunday morning it hit me ... I kept messing up my normal morning routine."

The great news finally came in an e-mail. McKay was told O at Home plans on running its feature Women Who Make Beautiful Things showcasing her furniture line, called Pure, in its spring 2009 issue.

But right now, McKay has other exciting issues to deal with. Right after the Oprah call, the Emmy Awards contacted McKay, inquiring whether they could feature her furniture line at a party honoring the 2008 Emmy nominees Sept. 18 to 20.

The theme behind the chic gala soiree is to produce a 100-per-cent sustainable, private charity event that keeps on giving.

McKay has also been invited to attend the bash, to be held at a $39-million mansion that used to belong to Sonny and Cher. "It's so incredible," says McKay, who believes the Emmy producers discovered her through a fan blog. "All these things that are happening to me right now, they're happening so organically."

She refuses to even think about what this type of exposure could mean for her. "Who knows what's going to come from all of this?" she says. "I couldn't pay for this type of advertising."

At 35, this married mother of two youngsters has already amassed quite a resume of impressive firsts. In only two years, she has risen to the top of her field, in great part, McKay believes, because of her exposure as the lead designer on HGTV's Makeover Wish television series for two seasons.

She was also one of two interior designers for the BC Home & Garden Show; has graced the pages of many top designer magazines and was chosen one of eight North American designers to choose the next colour palette for General Paint's 2010 collection.

It was only last year that McKay launched her Pure line -- pieces that are simple, elegant and refined and environmentally good.

"As an interior designer, I became concerned about what I was putting in my clients' homes," says McKay. "Around the same time I became a mom and was concerned for my children's environment."

Her newest line, inspired by the elements in nature, comprises four components which she has called Earth, Air, Fire and Water. She's hired some of the city's top furniture makers to handcraft each piece locally. Some are embossed with sweeping lines, and all of her line can be customized.

McKay is breaking down barriers when it comes to the idea that eco-design is not a hippie trend -- rather, her line is elegant, beautiful, high-end furniture.

Her mission? To provide furnishings that are better for you, your home and our planet. McKay uses only organic cotton, an ecotech-certified fabric, biodegradable, natural latex rubber for upholstery fill, organic cotton batting, non-toxic adhesives, lacquers and stains.

For her sofas, chairs and her new selection of beds, McKay uses only FSC certified hardwood, such as the Keiro board from China. The Forest Stewardship Council is an international governing body that ensures the forestry practices used to acquire the wood is done in a sustainable and responsible way.

"It is a highly renewable product; it's actually a very sturdy grass," says McKay, whose furniture is available in stores across western Canada and in the U.S. I can engrave on it, it can be hollowed out and I can etch right into my tables."

She's inspired by nature, flowers and other designers. McKay also spends hours navigating the Internet or poring through magazines for more ideas.

"I'm moving towards a classical style with a fusion of contemporary," she says.

Her creative passion was fuelled while growing up in the small town of Fort Erie, Ontario. As a youngster McKay had a paper route but, unlike other precocious eight-year-olds who couldn't care less about reading the newspaper, McKay was poring over the interior home pages, redesigning colour schemes for the pictured rooms she'd see.

"I taught myself how to read floor plans in the home section of the Toronto Star," says McKay.

She left Fort Erie when she was 19. The ensuing years saw her live across Canada, Europe, India, Belgium, Turkey and England.

"I studied interior design in London at the Nottingham National Design Academy and it was there that I was introduced to the concept of healthy homes," she says.

McKay hopes her career path and her successes will be an inspiration to other women. "I really do believe in the power of intention," she says.

Locally, Pure designs can be purchased at www.purebyamimckay.com, at M Smart Design in West Vancouver and at Liberty's four locations. Pure is also available in Calgary and Thunder Bay. Pure is also sold in Savannah, Georgia and Los Angeles.

© The Vancouver Sun 2008