What better way to inspire you to live a natural life than to surround yourself with sustainability and fill your home with eco-friendly reminders?
If you’ve been thinking about a home renovation project or two, now is a great time to shift your focus toward ways to protect the environment with interior design. Here are some tips for renovating your house in an eco-friendly and sustainable way.
Use Recycled and Recyclable Building Materials
Lots of different materials go into a home update, including wood, plastic, and finishes. But you can do your part to lessen your home’s carbon footprint by reusing existing materials and choosing ones that have been recycled or could be recycled in the future. Look into architectural salvage companies for materials so that you aren’t creating more waste with your project.
Choose Sustainable Furniture
Not all furniture is created equal, and the furnishings you choose can make a big impact on the environment. Eco-friendly furniture includes reclaimed wood from old houses, recycled metal, and durable pieces that are built to last a long time. Look for Forest Stewardship Council-certified wood for your furniture to ensure that the trees cut down to make it didn’t contribute to habitat destruction or harmful deforestation.
Focus on Energy Efficiency
By making your home more energy efficient with your project, you can conserve resources and save money on your monthly electric bills too. Choose new windows and doors for your rooms that have tight seals and high-quality construction to prevent air leaks and wasted heating and cooling energy. Check the insulation in your home and add more insulation where it’s missing or in common heat loss areas, such as around light fixtures. If your project involves updating some appliances, choose kitchen and laundry appliances that are high-efficiency models that cut down on energy consumption.
Select Low- or No-VOC Paints
When painting rooms in your house a beautiful new color, choose paints that have low or no VOCs to reduce your exposure to toxins. Eco-friendly paints include water-based paints, latex paint, and low-biocide paint. VOCs not only pollute the environment when they’re dumped out, but they can also harm your health by causing nausea and kidney damage.
Embrace Natural Light
Natural light is highly desirable among homeowners, so you’ll benefit your health and make your house more attractive to future buyers by maximizing windows and light coming inside. Daylight coming into the house means lower energy costs to heat your home, while windows that open can let fresh air inside to reduce your air conditioner usage on nice days. In rooms where natural light isn’t an option, choose energy-efficient LED bulbs that last much longer than conventional light bulbs.
Add More Houseplants
If you’re looking to add natural touches to your interior design, it doesn’t get much more natural than live plants in your rooms! Houseplants bring elements of the outdoors inside and also add the health benefits of controlling humidity and releasing oxygen into the indoor air. Potted plants, hanging wall boxes, and vertical gardens are all great options for indoor plants.
Local Art, Antiques, and Minimalism
When your renovations are done and it’s time to decorate, browse local arts and crafts fairs to support local artists in your community rather than having pieces of artwork shipped across long distances. You can also look for décor at antique shops to repurpose unique used items rather than buying brand-new ones. For an eco-friendlier household, consider adopting a minimalist theme because less stuff inside means less impact on the environment overall, with the added benefit of reducing clutter in your life.
We hope you’ve found these interior design ideas to be helpful and encourage you to find more natural lifestyle tips on the Seagate blog.