1. Choose Eco-friendly Materials (Furniture, Flooring & Rugs)
“Go Green” is not only the installation of solar panels, conserving water, or reducing electricity usage. Green buildings DO play a vital role in ensuring a sustainable lifestyle. Other décor elements like what material you use for your furnishings, floor coverings, and other architectural design that would help you create a healthier environment and play a substantial role too.
· Reclaimed Wood – Barn Wood or Weathered Wood
Cutting down trees for making wooden furniture is never a sustainable choice. However, reclaimed wood recycles old material, and gives it an eco-friendly new life. You can always refurbish your interiors with reclaimed wood. If your home has a rustic look, you can have barn wood mantels, rocking chairs, and coffee tables, and also as flooring solutions.
· Bamboo
Bamboo is a versatile grass with a high strength-to-weight ratio. This is grown tropically and a lot like wood, but a much more sustainable option. Bamboo which is considered grass than a tree, is one of the fastest-growing plants and a great renewable resource in the world. From an ecological standpoint, bamboo requires no or fewer fertilizers or pesticides for growth. That is also a very positive eco-friendly green building argument. This has become a great material for green buildings in many of the modern world designs.
· Recycled Metal
Scrap or recycled metal serves as a great option for green buildings. It reduces pollution and saves energy. At the same time, it also creates sustainable industrial design aesthetics for your home. Furniture with recycled metal and plastics require less processing and fewer resources than furnishing made with non-renewable material. In addition to that, metal can be repeatedly recycled without degrading its properties. These are a great way of establishing green buildings.
· Bio-Glass
Bio glass is a biodegradable green building alternative. It is a great option for making décor items from bathroom sinks to countertops and flooring. This material is made entirely from recycled glass, which is heated and compressed to create solid-surfacing slabs. It has the ability to add beauty to your interior the way you want.
· Cork
Cork floors are actually made to feel like hardwood, unlike the soft compressible impression this material shows. Extracting cork doesn’t harm the trees. This is obviously a sustainable option as only the bark is harvested. Moreover, cork is highly reusable and sturdy when it comes to flooring.
· Recycled Plastic
Recycled plastic is very efficient when it comes to interior designing. Rugs for Indoor and outdoor are made from recycled plastic, giving a new life to this non-biodegradable material. Polyethylene is heavy and dense and we can convert them to furniture which is sturdy and durable. The color is fade-resistant. Other forms of plastic like PET are used to create bottles and even yarn, which can be woven in the clothing industry.
· Jute Fibers
Jute Fiber is affordable natural fiber that can add an earthy tone/feel to the room in many different ways. This coarse material grows quickly and is thus rapidly renewable. They are a great option with woven jute rugs that are not only durable but aesthetically pleasing too. Jute is a good heat insulator. Therefore, rugs made from this fiber are also economical.
Read here about Green building materials and their use in construction: https://engineerinc.io/green-building-materials-and-their-use-in-construction/
2. Pick Environmentally Conscious Finishes
The paint or varnish that we add for a little sheen to raw material plays a role in sustainability. Elements in a lot of paints have VOC (volatile organic compound) that evaporates at room temperature and can last for several weeks, according to Green America. VOCs can cause serious health issues for the occupants since they can pollute the indoor and outdoor air, as well. Many finishes also contain biocides, fungicides, and pigments that can harm the environment.
To reduce your ecological footprint, you can use these earth-friendly finishes:
- Non-toxic paint
- Finishes with “low VOCs”
- Low-biocide paints
- Milk paint
- Water-based paint, stains, and sealants
- Latex paint
3. Evaluate Sustainable Lighting Options
The mood of a space is controlled not only by the furniture but all the aspects of the house including the lighting. As an homeowner, you can strategically and tastefully add green building design to the light sources in your home.
LED light bulbs hold a bright future for our planet. According to environmental protection agencies, LED light bulbs consume at least 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs. In addition, they last 25 times longer. You can now shift to energy-efficient LED models that consume less energy than conventional light bulbs. As a pocket friendly yet more attractive option, you can install LED bulbs into pendant lights and lamps.
Examine Your Light Fixtures for Heat Loss
Your home’s doorways and windows are not the biggest sources of heat loss. Recessed ceiling lights can also allow heat to escape through the loft and outside. It is essential to inspect lights around your home to add extra insulation around the fixtures I order to retain heat. ‘Green’ light bulbs are energy efficient and help save money
4. Antiques – Recycle and Revamp
Antique furniture are a good choice if you want to go green. Whether you have inherited antiques or are a collector, this is a great sustainable option. Antiques tend to bring a traditional and rustic vibe to your home. They add attractiveness too. Select old, vintage furniture instead of purchasing new furniture. You can use your imagination to give these pieces a practical and aesthetically pleasing makeover for a long-lasting affair.
5. Style Your Interiors the Eco Friendly Way
If you are eco-conscious, let us discuss some of the design aesthetics that offer environmental benefits along with great-looking interiors.
· Green Country Look
Normally, rustic spaces have eco-friendly products. A home with old traditional country looks together with recyclable reclaimed wood flooring, adds on to the beauty of these spaces. Moreover, these spaces can be re-created using furniture and ornaments from antique stores or flea markets and not buying it brand new from the store. By retaining old items, you can avoid the harmful manufacturing process for making new furniture. However, you definitely can make your home one-of-a-kind using a wide range of items to create your beautiful rustic home.
· Minimal Interiors
Based on ‘Less is More’, one can create interiors that are mindful and more sustainable. Minimalism is a method for de-cluttering, organizing, and simplifying. It is having fewer things meaning less manufacturing that will minimizes the negative impact on the environment. Moreover, Scandinavian design is famous for this minimalist approach. It focuses on the rawness of earthy, organic materials. Therefore, this décor style adheres to the bare-essentials mindset by limiting the number of items in your house that use non-renewable resources. For example, the use of natural materials like organic cotton, linen, hemp, etc. for bed sheets and other upholstery along with a small area rug made of jute fibers can eliminate the usage of processed synthetic materials. Furthermore, using fireplaces with bio-fuels instead of electricity-based heating gadgets in chilly winter times could be a great natural source too.
