Embrace Eco-Friendly Living with Sustainable Interior Design Principles
The climate change crisis and rapidly deteriorating environment have forced society to rethink the way we live. There is a growing focus and emphasis on adopting eco-friendly practices that have a lower eco-footprint. Interior design takes up a major portion of our lifestyle, and the choices we make regarding our home decor have a huge impact on the environment.
Nowadays, clients are rethinking their lifestyle choices and making a conscious effort to follow sustainable interior design practices. To better understand sustainable interior design, let us explore five major principles.
Reduce Energy Expenditure
- As vital as energy is for our existence, it is also one of the leading contributors to climate change. Modern-day urban life requires substantial energy expenditures. Running appliances, utilities, heating, lighting, ventilation, and building upkeep require a considerable amount of energy.
Sustainable interior design focuses on the optimal use of space and natural light to reduce dependence on other sources of energy. To limit energy expenditure and make the home more energy efficient, interior designers tweak the heating and lighting modes. Installing good-quality insulating windows reduces thermal losses. Likewise, efficient use of curtains and drapes offers protection against harsh external factors such as sunlight and cold air.
- Interior designers use window coverings, blinds, and shades to maintain the desired indoor temperature. Similar preventive measures reduce the use of HVAC systems in maintaining optimal indoor temperature.
Carpets also offer considerable thermal insulation. According to estimates, they can retain up to 10% of a room’s heat. Plush carpets are especially beneficial in colder areas. They not only trap heat, but their luxurious texture also gives the feeling of warmth.
- The use of colors throughout the home influences its energy expenditure. Opting for a lighter color palette is usually a more eco-friendly choice. Lighter colors reflect light more, giving the home a brighter appearance and reducing the dependence on artificial light. Strategically placing reflective materials such as glass, acrylic, crystal, or metal throughout the room makes the room more illuminated.
Automated HVAC systems that shut off after reaching the optimal point reduce energy overconsumption and result in a considerable reduction in energy bills. Installing similar green gadgets is good for the economy and environment.
Choose Materials With The Lowest Ecological Footprint
- Every single item in our home has some ecological footprint. To minimize environmental damage, it is important to choose items and products that are resourced sustainably and have the lowest ecological footprint. In this regard, organic materials such as wool, cotton, bamboo, natural stone, jute, etc. are the most preferred choice. Nature-based materials decompose organically without causing harm to the environment. Materials such as bamboo grow fast and are replenished quickly, making them one of the most eco-friendly materials for interior decor.
Nowadays, most products bear certificates, standards, and labels such as BCI (Better Cotton Initiative), ISO 14001, Circular Economy, Climate Neutral, Green Seal, etc. These credible labels help you identify eco-friendly products that are resourced responsibly and manufactured in an eco-friendly manner.
- Materials and products have environmental impacts at all stages of their life cycle, from extraction, production, processing, and transportation to disposal. Interior designers use different tools to identify these impacts, which helps them choose sensibly.
To keep up with the latest interior design trends, consult House and Harmony. We offer interior design services in San Diego and Carlsbad, California. We have fifteen years of industry experience and hundreds of happy clients. It proves our excellent interior home design services. We offer turnkey solutions and take care of all components of an interior home design project. For more information, call us at (858) 432-6800 or visit our website. See all the interior design services we offer in San Diego and surrounding areas.
