The desire to make responsible and sustainable choices in life can spill over into every aspect of living; including home décor. The principles of Recycle, Reuse and Renew can be applied to every aspect of life, including when you are decorating your home which can help you make eco friendly home décor choices.
In recent times a lot of research and development has been done into the subject of green building concepts that make for more sustainable living. For instance building designs that are more in harmony with the natural surroundings, use of green building materials that are either recycled or sourced from renewable resources are a good idea.
Also good insulation of the structure can reduce reliance of energy sources for heating and cooling. So eco friendly design choices can be made at the very inception of the building. This will help keep the building sustainable and will also help the occupants reduce their eco impact in the longer run.
Here are some of the areas you can consider while planning for eco-friendly home décor:
1. Appliances
Energy saving appliances can be installed so that the pressure on your local electric grid is mitigated at least to an extent.
2. Plumbing
Plumbing is another aspect that can help lower the ecological impact. Water saving plumbing can help reduce water usage of a home and its occupants very significantly so make wiser choices here as well.
3. Furniture
Shop for furniture at flea markets, antique stores and even garage sales: this makes for an interesting and eclectic look for your home, and very significant savings as well. The fact that these are ecologically sound choices because you are “reusing” and “recycling” at the same time is just a plus!
4. Floors
For the floors, consider renewable choices such as bamboo. Or consider reclaimed hardwood which is a choice that helps you recycle and reuse. And if you’re considering linoleum flooring (which is making something of a comeback in recent times), then opt for the real linoleum and not the kind that contains polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
5. Upholstery
Think organic when it comes to upholstery, carpeting, drapes and other aspects of home décor so that your décor choices mean less of an environmental impact.
6. Lighting
Additionally there is much that you can do to make eco friendly lighting choices. Firstly of course use of light colors increases light in a room. De-cluttering and letting in natural light is also important. CFLs help reduce electric consumption and last longer than incandescent bulbs.
