Whether you’re looking to refresh your home or your summer house’s living room look, it’s important to maintain balance. The balance? Between style and the environment, of course! You want your living space to be a perfect homage to your own likes and relaxation, but while maintaining a green lifestyle.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to do just that!
Choosing Your Sofa
It’s a big task to replace your sofa. Not only is it certainly an investment, but it is also a big design choice. After all, the sofa can’t help but be a huge focus for your room! But be sure that your new sofa didn’t cause a price for the planet when it was manufactured! There are a number of things to look out for where picking your perfect, eco-friendly sofa:
- Can the materials of the sofa be recycled again at the end of its life?
- For wood materials used, are they sealed with an environmentally friendly oil finish?
- Are the materials used to make it recycled?
- If not, are they sourced sustainably?
Picking Out The Curtains
Curtains have a huge impact on your room’s eco-rating. Your curtains can work hard towards reducing your heating costs if you pick wisely. Plus, the way the curtains themselves are made can also be very eco-conscious. EcoFriendly Link recommends buying curtains with natural fibers, such as cotton, silk, bamboo, or wool. For a more earthy look, linen and hemp curtains definitely add to the vibe. Plus, making sure these materials haven’t been dyed (or, at least, ensuring they were dyed with low-toxicity/low-impact dyes), is a must for an environmentally friendly home.
Another way to improve the eco-benefits of your curtains is to ensure they are lined with a light-colored fabric. This helps with cooling your home in the summer and closing your curtains during sunny days will keep your house cool. Conversely, closing the curtains will keep the heat in the room during the winter months, meaning your radiators don’t have to work as hard.
Eco-Friendly Floors
Contrary to popular belief, there are more options than reclaimed wood when it comes to eco-flooring. There are a number of different materials to consider when picking out the best flooring option for you, including:
- Glass tiles
- Wool carpet
- Cork
- Bamboo
Like with the curtains, be sure to investigate the dyes being used in the flooring product. Some dyes are highly toxic, so even if the material is sustainable, the process of making the flooring becomes decidedly not-eco-sound!
Fancy a rug to spruce up your floor? Consider a sisal and sweet-grass woven rug. This plant-based rug is made from plants similar to bamboo, and they grow plentifully, meaning it doesn’t harm the environment to make them.
Environmentally Friendly Shelving
Shelves are a simple way to bring loads of character to your living room. You can embrace either the rustic, rugged look or the sleeker modern feel of wooden shelves: so long as it’s upcycled and reclaimed, you’re good to try any style!
Feeling thrifty? Why not make your own shelves? One on-trend and simple-to-make shelving idea is hanging shelves: a little rope, leather cord, or chain coupled with reclaimed wood, be it an old wooden pallet or an unused skateboard makes for a minimalistic boho look.
Greener Air Fresheners
Your living room can stay fresh without chemicals. Get rid of synthetic air fresheners that can be toxic to the environment and couple all your eco-friendly air freshener needs with another element of environmentally-sound interior design: houseplants. There are so many plants that can brighten up your home’s style while keeping it smelling fresh:
- Spider plant
- Devil’s Ivy
- Peace lily
- Aloe vera
An eco-friendly vibe can be both stylish and functional. Be sure to take an extra moment to consider the materials and their process in becoming furnishings before you commit to buying. Check out most eco-friendly offices in the World.
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