Sustainability – the avoidance of the depletion of natural resources to maintain an ecological balance – seems to be the current chosen buzzword for the world of interior design and architecture. Today, customers are not just looking for beautiful, niche and modern buildings, but ones that incorporate sustainable designs and environmentally conscious features too.
While it has traditionally been significantly more accessible for companies or people with larger budgets to pursue such designs and re-invent their home or office, the ability to follow such measures have become increasingly more popular and easier for the typical homeowner.
There is no golden formula when it comes to increasing your home sustainability, as no two homes are the same and taste differs substantially from person to person in what they look for in their perfect home, however, we are here to help you achieve such a goal while you pursue your dream home.
With significant innovation in recent years, the ability to re-design your home in a sustainable way has never been easier. Read on for our top three ways on how can you incorporate such elements into your home or next interior design project.
It starts with colour and natural light
One of the most common queries that crosses the mind of anyone undertaking an interior design project is how to bring in more natural light. Whether you are professional, or this is your first time, this is one of the biggest questions you will face.
The single most sustainable interior design solution is how you encompass and radiate the natural light that enters your home. Natural light is your best friend; not only does it provide a cost-effective, sustainable way of brightening up your home but the positive well-being re-enforcement it provides residents is too big to ignore. But how can you utilise and embrace the natural light that makes its way into your home? The simple answer is windows, and the colour on the wall.
When you are considering your approach to the colour palette, think of the overall impact the colour of the walls will have on the room. How much artificial light will you need? How will this impact on the energy of the room? While darker walls and décor may increase the feeling of relaxation in a room, they will naturally need a greater amount of artificial light. Lighter colour palettes, such as crème, ivory, pale blues and greens will reflect more light that enters the room. Utilising the lighter colours on walls surrounding or opposite windows will allow you to maximise natural light around the room and your home.
For those who are more environmentally conscious, you can consider the types of paint used and how toxic it may be.
Upcycle and recycle
To instil luxury into your home, you do need to part ways with thousands of pounds in fancy building materials, décor, furnishings and technologies. Often, the simpler the materials, the more versatile they can be and provide you with a greater amount of design options.
One of the most popular interior design trends sweeping across the UK is upcycling. Upcycling in its simplicity is the process of transforming older or scrapped materials into new products of better quality. The heart of upcycling is sustainable and environmentally conscious, promoting people to re-use and spend time improving old or broken products which are destined for landfill. Reinventing a use for what you may interpret as a worthless product in your home provides natural character you cannot achieve through purchasing a mass-produced item from a shop.
Let your imagination take hold and create your own luxurious product – the upcycling possibilities in interior design are endless and give a previously mundane product a new lease of life and personality.
Eco-friendly furnishing
Unfortunately, you cannot upcycle or recycle everything, there are always occasions where you need to go new and one of those purchases is often furniture. Providing the finishing touch to your home, furniture can make or break your hard work.
Sustainable or eco-friendly furniture is rapidly entering the market and becoming more and more available across price ranges. For those who are willing to pursue sustainable interior designs, seek out companies committed to sustainable interior design solutions who openly use eco-friendly materials and ethical production methods. It is imperative to study the companies to see if they are environmentally conscious.
For those who are more capable with a hammer, saw and sander in hand, why not create your own piece of furniture that is unique to you and your property? Create a piece of furniture that will last and be personal, whether this is a table, chair, bookcase or cabinet. Building a piece of furniture is more achievable than people think with professional cutting drilling services readily available to the day to day interior designer and DIY enthusiast.
Sustainable and environmentally conscious interior design is an extremely smart and more popular choice and it is possible to achieve luxury and be environmentally conscious at the same time. We can all be more environmentally aware and sustainable in our life, and this can start at home.
