Learn how to decorate your home sustainably with these 7 tips
Growing environmental consciousness and a greater emphasis on making eco-friendly choices have influenced consumer behavior. Most consumers are now trying to adopt an environmentally sustainable lifestyle with the least carbon footprint. Environmental consciousness has redefined our choices for interior decor as well.
Sustainable home decor involves using more natural, eco-friendly, and biodegradable materials and products to decorate your living space. The three R’s, i.e., reduce, reuse, and recycle, are prioritized throughout the entire home decor process. This helps reduce your carbon footprint and discourages using products and materials that harm the environment.
Let us explore some brilliant ways to decorate your home in a way that does not harm the planet Earth.
Replace Conventional Wallpapers with Eco-friendly Wallpapers
- Conventional wallpapers carry certain harmful chemicals such as VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds). VOCs are integral components of the adhesives that make the wallpaper stick to the surfaces. VOCs react with sunlight and nitrogen oxides to form ozone, a highly potent air pollutant. VOCs not only damage the environment, but they are also a health hazard.
Inhalation and exposure to VOCs irritate eyes, throat, and nasal passage. It can also trigger nausea. Therefore, it is better to decorate your home with wallpapers that are made from natural materials such as the bark of cork oak, grass cloth, or an embellished piece of cloth. Organic wallpapers will add a flair to your home while promoting a healthier indoor environment.
Use of Organic Products for Roofing and Flooring
Roofs and floors are two important components of a home that occupy considerable space. For a more eco-friendly approach towards interior decor, consider the following options:
- Roofs can be covered with a variety of eco-friendly materials, such as clay roofing tiles, wood shakes, metal roofs, solar panels, or vegetation. Solar roofs and green roofs are particularly popular because they promote energy efficiency and use of renewable energy. Eco-friendly roofing materials not only reduce your carbon footprint but add to the aesthetics of your home as well.
- Interior designers are experimenting with various natural materials to add grace and charm to your home. Floors can be covered with bamboo, recycled glass tiles, concrete, reclaimed hardwood, linoleum, and wool carpets. These flooring materials are derived from naturally occurring substances, which makes them recyclable and sustainable for the long term. Unlike processed materials, naturally occurring substances are not loaded with harmful chemicals, making them a healthier lifestyle choice.
Environmental consciousness and interior decor go hand in hand because naturally sourced materials add a chic and boho look to your home. Hence, it is a win for all.
Bring The Garden Indoors
Adding plants to your interior decor has multiple advantages. They are pocket-friendly, add color and vibrance to the home, and meet the criterion for eco-style decorating. Indoor plants require little maintenance, and there are so many ways to decorate them. Try the following:
- Decorate spacious walls and vertical spacing with vines and indoor climber plants.
- Add small potted plants to your bathroom to give it a luxurious spa-like vibe.
- Do not limit your interior decor to green-colored leaves. Experiment with colored foliage to create a vibrant look for the living area.
- Fill the empty corners with hanging planters.
- Strategically fill the empty spots on a bookshelf with terracotta pots.
- Decorate empty bar carts with potted plants. Choose a variety of textures and sizes of foliage. Mix and match them to create a more natural look.
There are endless options to decorate your home with plants. Unlike store-bought decoration pieces, indoor plants and biodegradable and don’t bring harmful materials to your home.
Use Preloved Furniture and Repurpose Old Furniture
- Reduce, reuse, and recycle are the three pillars of sustainable living. To help the environment, consider buying second-hand furniture that is in good shape. Reusing or recycling home items helps reduce the burden on landfills and also reduces the carbon footprint associated with the manufacture of new furniture.
So, instead of buying a new, flashy piece of furniture, consider preloved furniture options first. You can find some amazing vintage, classy, and chic pieces in your local market.
- Another successful way to incorporate sustainable living is repurposing old furniture instead of throwing it out. For example, a refurbished old pantry cabinet can be reused as a shoe rack. With a little repair, old dining chairs can be turned into a bench for your porch. There are multiple ways to repurpose everyday household items into useful products.
Use Non-Toxic Paint
- Paints are an important component of interior decor. They set the ambiance of the home and add color and vibrance to it. However, conventionally manufactured paint contains a lot of harmful chemicals like VOCs (Volatile Organic Components). VOCs are not only detrimental to the environment but pose a risk to human health as well.
VOCs act as catalysts for the formation of ground-level ozone, a major air pollutant. Paint companies now manufacture low-VOC or zero-VOC paints thanks to increased environmental consciousness and technological advances. Make sure to read the label on the paint can before purchasing it.
- Along with that, Eco paints are a wonderful alternative to conventionally manufactured paints. Natural and organic components such as seed oil, beeswax, and lemon peels are used to make eco-paints. They don’t emit harmful components and are safe to use.
Efficient Use of Lighting
- Optimum and well-adjusted lighting can do wonders for your home. It enhances the aesthetic appeal and adds depth to the area. Nowadays, interior designers are opting for stylish lighting fixtures that are eco-friendly as well. Ceiling pendant lamps, flute wall lights, solar bamboo string lights, and recyclable illuminates are in high demand.
These lighting fixtures are energy efficient and give the home an elegant and modern look.
Power Your House With Solar Energy
- Solar power is a clean source of energy. The solar panels derive energy from the sun and convert it into electricity. Unlike fossil fuel burning, energy production from solar panels does not cause the emission of harmful greenhouse gasses.
Install solar panels on your rooftop and power all your appliances with them. The use of solar energy lowers electricity bills, reduces reliance on fossil fuels, and promotes sustainable living. Installation of solar technology also increases the market value of your home.
To get on board with the latest interior design trends, consult House and Harmony. We offer full-service interior design services in San Diego and Carlsbad, California. Fifteen years of industry experience and hundreds of happy clients are proof of 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.
