Going green in the home is not just good for the planet – it makes your space beautiful, too!
Going green in the home is not just good for the planet – it makes your space beautiful, too!
It’s been trendy to recycle and upcycle furniture, giving pieces a chic new lease of life. But furniture, interior and fabric designers are taking eco-friendly aesthetics to the next level. Many are now creating pieces made from natural fibres – such as rugs made from jute, sisal, seagrass and coir (fibre from coconut husks); soft furnishings and linen made from organic cotton and hemp; and furniture made from rattan and cane. Even concrete, which in its raw state is environmentally friendly and natural, is no longer used just architecturally – it is now being used to make beautiful bench tops, decor (such as vases) and furniture. Bamboo is especially big now.
It is used in everything from towels, bed linen and rugs to flooring, window blinds and cabinets. Unlike wood, which is not a renewable material and can come from harmful harvesting methods, bamboo literally grows like a weed – at eight times the rate of trees! Better still, when it is harvested, the plant grows back rather than dies. Similarly, cork – which can be used widely in interior furnishings – is a bark that is harvested from living cork oak, leaving the tree alive. If you’re in favour of this green trend, ask where furnishings come from and how they were made before acquiring them. As a general rule, you can’t go wrong with anything that is made from recycled materials. Also, go for reclaimed wood, and avoid exotic woods, unless certified.
