6 Eco Friendly Interior Décor Tips perfect for Earth Day
Eco friendly interior décor is not just a trend, but a movement.
Consumers are striving to create interiors that are healthy, have better indoor air quality, and lessen their “carbon footprint”. While we may not be all be able to afford a LEED Platinum home, we can take small steps in choosing our interior décor products to make our homes more eco-friendly.
So today, we’re introducing you to 6 eco friendly decor tips!
1. Seating & Sleeping
From the living room to the nursery and the dog bed you want eco friendly products to make your home comfortable and healthy.
California based Viesso provides one of the most versatile lines of eco friendly products for the home. Whether you want something for indoor or outdoor, the living room or the office, you can find a variety of pieces to choose from. And for every product you can learn about “What makes it Green” to help you make an informed decision. You can browse their products, learn more about their eco-friendly initiatives here.
When selecting furniture and bedding pieces there are a couple eco-friendly details to look for:
• Wool filled pillows and cushions to eliminate dust mites
• Furniture made from Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) wood
• Recycled steel, metal and other construction components
• No anti-flame retardant
• Zero or low VOC (volatile organize compounds) in the construction and fabric materials
• Solid furniture vs laminate products
If you are making eco friendly a lifestyle change, extend that for all family members, even your four legged ones. Check out BigShrimpy, based on Seattle, WA for some stylish, and all natural bedding options for your pet too.
Endless Inspiration for the Floor of Your Dreams
GET DESIGN BOOK2. Green Underfoot
There is no other wood floor covering more eco friendly than reclaimed wood floors (Also known as antique wood floors).
These floors are salvaged from centuries old buildings that have been slated for demolition. These structures were built using some of the best construction materials of the time such as White Oak, Long Leaf Heart Pine and Chestnut in the walls, sheathing, beams, floor joists, and other components of these factories and barns.
Instead of wasting this valuable resource, you can recover and recycle it for a 2nd generation into a wood floor.
Replace you carpets and rugs with a new wood floor to immediately improve your indoor air quality.
Aside from using an antique wood floor product, you can also look for wood floors made in America from american wood – American forests have much better forestry management practices, that keep them sustainable. Or you may consider FSC certified wood for exotic species.
3. Fair Trade Interior Décor
We’ve all heard of fair trade products like coffee. But did you know you can find fair trade products for your interior décor too?
Fair Trade initiatives helps disadvantages producers often in developing countries deliver their product to market without the sometime debilitating side effects of international trade laws and expenses. Learn more here. We’ve found a few sites that promote fair trade for home décor items like linens, kitchenware, textiles, and other housewares.
If you can’t find a fair trade supplier for the items you most desire, look for items made locally by a local craftsman, or buy something made in the USA. Buying local helps reduce the carbon footprint of manufactured goods.
4. Eating & Drinking
Installing brand new, ecofriendly cabinetry may not be something you are ready to do. Energy efficient appliances are the most natural choice, if you are in the market for new appliances.
If neither are due for replacement, upgrade some little things in your kitchen to make your space a little more green. Here are some kitchen items you might want to consider:
- Reusable chop sticks
- Cleaning supplies
- Drinkware and glassware made from 100% recycled glass
- Bamboo serving bowls, utensils and cutting boards
- Water conservation sink fixtures
- Compost Bucket
5. Lighting the Way
There has been a big push in recent years to educate consumers about the transition in lighting solutions for the home.
Traditional light bulbs are being replaced with Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFL) or Light Emitting Diodes (LED) lighting. Inhabit provides a great summary of the benefits of each type of lighting, such as did you know if every household replaced 1 traditional bulb with a CFL bulb its like taking 1 milliion cars off the road.
Other tips to improve the eco friendly aspects of your interior lighting:
- solar lightings
- increase natural lighting in your rooms
- install a skylight
- lighten up your interior wall color to make rooms brighter
6. Color me Happy
Going green doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice color.
In fact, any paint manufacturer today can provide you with green paint solutions to help you create any color for any room. But you may also want solutions for dog houses, or decking or chalkboard paint for the playroom!
Things to look for in your eco-friendly paint:
• Low or zero voc
• No toxic solvents
• Increased coverage rates
• Eco friendly packaging
• Organic
• Ordorless
• Non allergenic
One of the best suppliers today is ECOS Paints, which provides all of the above, at the same price as traditional suppliers like Benjamin Moore or Sherwin Williams, with more eco-friendly benefits and an unlimited color pallet. Find out more at Ecos Paint.