Eco-Friendly Interior Design Is Easier Than You Might Think

A growing number of Americans are showing an interest in green homes. The shift is hardly surprising, considering the countless benefits green homes provide. Green homes reportedly use between 20% and 30% less energy and water and can reduce energy costs by up to 60%.

You may want to consider investing in a green home as well, but you need to know what to look for. When we talk about the design of our home, we primarily focus on the aesthetic qualities of materials and interior items. We choose what is beautiful. But if you want to practice a more environmentally friendly approach to interior design, here are a few rules to help you switch the focus.

Which style is the most environmentally friendly?

Sustainable design is sometimes confused with interior design practices, although sustainable solutions can be applied regardless of the style you choose. If you go to a Stella McCartney store in London, its design will not tell you that technological solutions have helped make the air much cleaner inside than outside. The store owners won’t mention that some walls are decorated with recycled office paper or that the furniture is made of restored wood or is vintage.

If you choose a particular style, the most environmentally friendly approach is minimalism, which is characterized by the rejection of everything superfluous – decoration, furniture and finishing. Oprah Winfrey has a great article on minimalism. After all, the fewer things, the less natural resources, CO2 in the atmosphere and garbage in landfills. Scandinavian style is also suitable for this concept – with its minimalist approach to decoration and the use of durable things with simple design outside of time.

Choose natural materials

Choose natural materials such as wood, stone, bamboo, flax, wool. Avoid plastics and artificial materials as they have a negative impact on the environment during production. And the substances that make up these materials have a bad long-term impact on our health. Moreover, in order not to use paper when presenting your design project to the customer, use a mockup. There is a huge number of them in the web of good resolutions and they are completely free. Just check these iPhone mockups.

Look for ECO labels

Goods that have been certified and comply with environmental parameters are marked with special eco labels. Most often they can be found on imported goods: it is “European flower” in European countries or American USDA Organic. Domestically certified goods are ecolabelled “Leaflet of Life”. Choosing goods with ecolabeling you can be sure: the product is good for both people and the environment.

Explore the composition of the upholstery

Try to avoid synthepone in furniture upholstery, mattresses and blankets, and instead choose natural fillers: camel wool, horsehair, rubber, coconut chips. It may be difficult to find comfortable furniture with the right upholstery, but in this case, the solution is simply to change the factory upholstery to natural.

Use a second hand shop

Even furniture can be disposed of in environmentally friendly ways. For example, put it up for sale. Perhaps someone just needs an old, but good-quality sofa from the ’60s to the garage.

Invest in quality

Stake on quality and classic design when you buy new furniture. High-quality furniture will last longer and save you money, and classics will never go out of fashion. That means you don’t have to rebuild when fashion changes to interior style.

Sustainable Design Should be a Priority

We should all focus on eco-friendly living. Sustainability incorporates many changes in our lives. This includes investing in a sustainable or green home. These tips will help you buy the right sustainable home.