Eco-friendly interior design is all about sourcing locally or artisan made, repurposing, rearranging and breathing life into the things you already have and love.
Before you pour your money into less than sustainable (and less than original) home decor, look around your home, and even out your window, for some fresh ideas. When you spring clean your home this year, think about how you can be more resourceful.
Whether you up-cycle old furniture or shop locally or support a local artisan, choosing a sustainable interior design makeover means taking the 100 mile diet into your living room, exquisitely.
What’s not to like about being environmentally savvy at home? It’s good for the environment and the community. Here are seven eco-friendly home decor ideas to try this spring or any time of year.
1. Foraging nature
Let nature’s elements bring you peace at home. From dried flowers to driftwood, eco-friendly home decor ideas abound in your own backyard. Take a pair of clippers and step into an adventure of fallen branches and then play with the way they cast shadows around your rooms at different times throughout the day. Dried flora adds both a sculptural and textural quality to your home that you’ll never find for sale on a shelf.
2. Work with what you have
Want to cut down on the mass-produced look of your home’s interior? Sometimes all it takes is an old bookshelf shelf adorned with your treasured yard sale salt and pepper shakers or beach combed jewels to make a striking statement. Other times it takes a can of paint. If you have a drab staircase, easily transform it into a bold centrepiece with a splash of dark nature-hued paint. This looks especially great in a light room. Don’t forget the railings and banister!
3. Kitchen refresh
With wood primer and premium paint, you can easily give your kitchen a fuss-free but major make-over. Instead of replacing your kitchen cabinets, consider refacing them or simply repainting them. Try using neutral hues on your cabinets using paint with VOC content which is environmentally friendly.
4. Introduce new by sourcing the old, artisan or sustainably made
There’s so much joy in finding a unique ceramic vessel to hold your foraged flora . Which brings both artesian aesthetic beauty and practical value to any shelfie moment.
Online antique shops and consignment boutiques are great places to peruse for beautifully curated collections of found treasures (especially some great ceramic vessel finds!). Whether you’re in the market for mid-century modern light fixtures or antique crystal doorknobs, pre-loved treasures add a charm and warmth to your home that newer counterparts simply cannot. I love repurposing and finding vintage treasures on Esty, Face Book Market Place and at Vintage Flea Markets. Salvage shops like Habitat for Humanity are also an excellent and cost-effective way to revamp your home. Some online retailers even specialize in high-end collectable pieces like Salt by The Caza Project or First Dibs
Home - My beautiful bench seat by Local Toronto Craftsperson - Arking Atelier
Ethically handmade woollen rugs via Studio Nordhaven
5. Rethink how to use spaces
Rethink how to use spaces in your home by converting the old into new usable spaces. Transform a closet into a makeup room, place banquette seating in the dining room, or customize a cushion with some linen or your favourite salvaged vintage material and toss it in a windowsill. This makes for a spectacular reading nook and is a brilliant use of space, especially in small homes.
Rethink how to use existing spaces - Perhaps introduce banquette seating in the kitchen or dining room?
6. Experiment with painting techniques
Tired of solid colors? Try rag rolling, stripes, colour wash or textures. The sky’s the limit for painting techniques you can experiment with in your home. Bauwerk Colour produces exemplary modern lime paint in hues with whimsical names like Flannel Flower or Mallorca. With sustainable home decor in mind, Bauwerk develops and sources each rich colour from the finest pigments on Earth and does so without harming the environment.
7. Play around with planters
Create an urban jungle in your home and enjoy the many benefits plants can bring to your life. Besides cleaning the air you breathe, plants and the pots they live are a lovely, simple, and affordable way to change up your space. Minimalist leafy greenery matches all interiors, so whether you give your plants a home on the windowsill or a sunny corner of your home office, it will look fab. With sleek modern black, white planters, terra-cotta or anything in between it easy to create a unique look. Mix one-of-a-kind or similar sized containers together, or use different pot sizes to create visual interest. Don’t forget about handing some plants from your ceiling, too.
If you’re on the prowl for some lovely art to collect and hang on your walls, please reach out for a free one-on-one consultation. I’d love to meet you for coffee over zoom to talk about all things art, design, styling and vintage treasure hunting with you!
Anna xo