Every homeowner aspires to design an Instagramable home, decorating it with the trendiest decor and furniture in the market. But all this comes at a huge environmental cost. With 9 million tons of furniture ending up in landfills yearly and harmful GHGs produced during manufacturing and transportation, the home decor industry takes a toll on the environment.
But by using these six natural and eco-friendly decor hacks, you can transform your home’s aesthetic while keeping our blue planet happy:
Maximize Natural Light
Bathing your interior with natural light plays a starring role in uplighting mood, supercharging productivity, promoting healthier living, and making your home look and feel spacious. The best part–it’s the perfect way to cut back on daytime electricity bills–making your home energy efficient.
A few tricks to achieve that are:
- Strategically installing colossal mirrors to reflect light indoors
- Use glossy surfaces and metallic finishes in furniture, flooring, backsplashes, and light fixtures
- Opt for lighter color wall paints (whites and pastels)
- Install skylight and solar tubes
- Divide rooms with translucent doors
If you have the budget for bigger renovations, embracing an open floor plan coupled with huge windows and above-tips can make a transformative difference.
Fill Your Home with Indoor Plants
Plants bring life to every space. Therefore, deliberately gathered plants are the ideal way to create an inviting home to which everyone is drawn.
Surround your seating areas with floor-to-ceiling greenery. Dress up your dining room. For example, a dwarf umbrella bonsai tree can be used as a dining table centerpiece while tangles of philodendrons and golden pothos brighten up empty corners.
Landscape your patio, front yard, backyard, and pathways. Tuck plants in unexpected spaces to create a dynamic look–like your bedrooms or carts, which double as plant stands and bars.
Use Renewable Energy Sources
Solar panels are a popular source of renewable energy for homeowners looking to build an energy-efficient household and save massive amounts on electric bills. This makes an off-grid solar system a great investment for reducing your home’s carbon footprint.
Plus, solar panels can increase your home’s value by 4.1% nationwide. Therefore, while the initial charges are higher, the cost of most rooftop solar installations and batteries is usually recovered in the home’s sale price.
Pick Sustainable Materials to Decorate Your Space
Sustainable interior designing materials mean choosing eco-friendly materials like bamboo, Rattan, polished plaster, reclaimed wood, terrazzo, glass, reclaimed wood, and natural stones.
For example, the incredibly versatile bamboo can be used in decorative ways on windows, flooring, and walls. Being lighter, Rattan is great for producing unique patterns and giving a rustic feel to your living area.
Reclaimed woods and glass also add warmth and familiarity to the home with a touch of elegance. Natural stone, on the other hand, can be used in interior elements like benchtops, fire mantels, and bathrooms.
Go Vintage or Upcycle
The pride of finding excellent furniture and decor on eBay, charity shops, and even yard sales is unparalleled. The second-hand decor is a bane for the environment, too. So, go vintage and look for pre-owned decor on sale.
Even better, if you have old furniture, consider upcycling. Give it a new life with a fresh coat of paint. You only need a few hours for these DIY projects, and Pinterest will give you 10,000+ ideas on how to use the leftover wooden palette–let your creativity get the best of you.
Perfume Your Home with Natural Fragrance
Home decor is more than what catches the eye–the way your home smells also impacts the overall aesthetic. But, usual air fresheners are environmentally-friendly. Fortunately, there are many natural ways to make your home aromatic bliss.
Use essential oils, such as citrus and lavender, with diffusers or create potpourri by combining dried herbs, flowers, and spices. Beeswax-scented candles and simmer pots with fragrant ingredients like cinnamon sticks and herbs are also great options for adding aroma and humidity to the air.
Plant fresh flowers such as jasmine, gardenia, and rosemary to add fragrance and greenery to the outdoors.
Get Decorating
Global warming is a real threat today. As responsible planet residents, it’s our responsibility to make sustainable choices and build a cleaner and greener world–and these choices also matter in our home decor.
Sustainable home decor is all about sprucing your home with natural, biodegradable, and eco-friendly materials. We hope the above six hacks can help you achieve that in a way that makes both you and Mother Earth smile with joy!
