Like anyone else, we love to change things around in our homes. But buying new furniture or decor and following the latest trends can impact the environment. Recently, we have been searching for eco-friendly and sustainable ways to decorate our homes.
Take the time to discover your style.
We often need to buy or replace something because we have made an impulsive purchase.
You may need to replace your furniture or décor for the following reasons:
- It doesn’t suit your space… literally.
- The colors or patterns do not match your other furniture
- It seemed like a good deal, but the quality of the product was poor.
It is best to plan ahead of time before going to the store. We recommend that you create a mood board to find your style. If you are planning to buy furniture, make sure you measure your room. Take note of the doorways and windows.
Invest in a durable design.
We should say goodbye to the fast-fashion furniture. It’s not fun to furnish our homes with substandard furniture that lasts only a few months or years before being thrown away.
Let’s instead embrace pieces that will last. Higher quality products not only enhance the appearance and feel of your home but also save you a lot of unnecessary waste.
B2C furniture is an excellent alternative to expensive made-to-last furniture. They’re on a quest to provide consumers with sustainable options. Their motto is ‘Furniture should not cost the Earth, nor should it be costing the Earth its survival.’ The furniture in their range is made of hardwood sourced sustainably, not chipboard. This means it will last a long time and can be reused as a chair, coffee table, or bed once its original purpose is over.
Repair or Repurpose
It’s only sometimes necessary to purchase new items. With a bit of imagination, you can repair or repurpose many items.
Reupholstering an old armchair may be a better option than replacing it. Give a vase a fresh look rather than throwing it away. The Trash to Terracotta Trend can breathe new life into the old decor.
Vintage or Second Hand?
When shopping for your new home, you should also consider second-hand options, including:
- Vintage and antique shops
- Second-hand shops and op-shops
- Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree
Buying second-hand can save you money and reduce the need for more production. Finding the perfect pieces can be like treasure hunting, but it can also be fun and exciting.
Buy only what you need.
Reduced consumption is one of the best ways to decorate your home sustainably. A few extra cushions here and there or a new vase there can add up. It is especially true of cheaper items that are easy to add to the cart.
Take a moment and ask yourself:
- Do you have anything similar?
- Do you love it or only buy it because it is cheap?
- Does it belong in your home, or will it end up in a cabinet as clutter?
We all favor buying critical pieces for your home to update the look. By asking yourself these questions, you will be able to purchase items that are both beautiful and useful.
Select sustainable materials
By choosing sustainable materials, we can also reduce our environmental impact by buying durable items.
Sustainable materials include:
- FSC certified wood
- Bamboo
- Cork
- Chairs made from recycled plastic bottles.
- Recycled fabric
- Wool sourced ethically
Multifunctional items are a good choice.
- As our lifestyles evolve, so do our requirements. Look for multifunctional furniture that can be adapted to our changing needs.
- Think of modular sofas, which can be reconfigured easily, and expandable dining tables and side tables that double up as stools. Bunk beds are the most popular multifunctional items. When assembled as a single bunk bed, they are space-saving but can be cleverly converted into two separate beds. When the children are no longer interested in sharing a bedroom or hosting sleepovers regularly, they can separate the beds.
Unwanted items can be donated, recycled, sold, or traded.
- We all donate items of good quality to charities. What about damaged or dirty items? There may be ways to recycle these items instead of dumping them in landfills. Unusable textiles can be donated to an animal shelter for use in animal welfare. Apparel, for example, will pay you for collecting unwanted materials. They’ll then use them to create new products.