Over 40% of consumers in the US are considering the importance of sustainable materials in their everyday purchasing. This trend is now manifesting itself in a more mindful approach to the remodeling and interior decoration of homes. Through selecting well-made, timeless pieces, you can reflect your personal lifestyle and taste rather than just the latest quick design trends. In addition, by choosing eco-friendly soft furnishings and sustainable building materials for your interiors, you can considerably reduce the impact of your home improvement on the environment.
Unique and Timeless Pieces
Rather than regularly buying and replacing cheap mass-produced items for the home, eco-friendly consumers are increasingly looking to invest in timeless pieces. By buying better quality furniture that will last many years without going out of fashion, it is possible not only to establish an enduring personal style but also to limit your impact on the environment at the same time. For many homeowners, celebrating your unique lifestyle choices and personal aesthetic is a critical component of creating a timelessly beautiful home, designers at ,J Fisher Interior Design affirm. Plus, high-quality and enduring pieces create an attractive backdrop which is then easy to subtly update with small changes or seasonal adjustments.
Green Building Materials
The desire to renovate, remodel and update interiors is gaining popularity. At any one time, 90% of homeowners plan to remodel their home and more than a third will do so in the next couple of years. By using environmentally-friendly building materials, you can still enjoy regularly updating your home but with much less damage to the environment. Search for timber from sustainably managed forests or look for reclaimed wood that can be repurposed to create beams or unique flooring without the need to cut down more trees. As one of the fastest growing plants in the world, bamboo is light but strong and so makes a great eco-friendly alternative to hardwood for construction poles, fences and flooring.
Natural Soft Furnishings
As a highly renewable material, bamboo can also be used to produce environmentally soft furnishings such as duvets and bedding. Plant fibers are increasingly being used as an alternative to synthetic fibers and can also easily be woven into carpets. The manufacture of synthetic fibers used in many flooring products uses a huge amount of energy and water, whereas the use of quickly renewable materials such as seagrass or cork has much less impact on the environment. To further reduce your carbon footprint when redecorating, you can use paints made with fewer chemicals or Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC). As well as reducing the amount of contaminating pollutants in the atmosphere, low-VOC paint produces less odour and is much easier to clean with soap and water.
Upcycled Vintage Furniture
The trend towards sustainability and away from a fast, throwaway culture is being reflected in auction sales, where an increasing number of millennials are buying low cost vintage pieces in order to furnish their homes. Buying antique furniture is a very effective way to reduce your carbon footprint as nothing new needs to be produced. To breathe new life into secondhand furniture, upcycling is a sustainable and affordable way to refresh tired paintwork, create matching sets of furniture or simply to stamp your own personal style on a piece.
Sustainability in remodeling and interior design doesn’t have to mean compromising on style. Well-chosen pieces that reflect your own enduring personal taste, and furnishings made from renewable and recyclable materials, can help to create a beautiful home without causing unnecessary damage to the environment.
