Sustainable Home Decor: Exploring Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Practices in Interior Design and Home Décor

Sustainability. We've been hearing a lot about it for the last decade, no thanks to our harmful impact on the environment and the health of our planet. Sustainability has been a buzzword for a long time, whether you're in fashion, travel, architecture, design, or interior design. It will probably remain a major topic until as many of us as possible start acting responsibly and adopting some sustainable practices in our everyday lives.

So, what are the best sustainable home décor practices? In other words, how can you make your home look amazing without being wasteful, buying excessively, and harming the environment? We’ll break it all down in the article below.

Photo by Karolina Grabowska

Understand the Consequences

Before we dig straight into the environment-friendly home décor and interior design practices, let's take a moment to discuss why this is an important topic. The consequences of acting recklessly with the environment are a concern for all of us, so let's see what non-sustainable interior design and home décor practices mean.

The consequences we are and will be facing for focusing on sustainable home décor practices are:

• resource depletion

• destruction of habitats

• excessive waste in the landfills and accumulation of waste

• increased carbon footprint

• non-ethical labor practices

• increased plastic waste

• deforestation

In the USA alone, over 12 million tons of furniture waste are produced yearly, and 80% of it remains in landfills. This worrying statistic sums up the global picture of the negative effects of non-sustainable home décor and interior design practices.

How to Act Responsibly and Love Your Home?

Sustainable home décor is as fun and enjoyable as any other interior design practice. Just because you’re acting responsibly doesn’t mean your home will look any worse. You just need to learn about the best strategies for using eco-friendly and sustainable strategies in home décor.

Luckily, we’ve got you covered.

Here are the best practices for having a lovely home while remaining eco-friendly. They’re simple, easy to apply, and equally as beautiful as all the other options that don’t support sustainability. Let’s break them down.

1. Reuse Old Furniture

If you’ve ever been into DIY or you have some skill and creativity, you can easily turn old pieces of furniture into great-looking new pieces. So many of us decide to throw out old furniture when we’re remodeling or redoing our home. Instead, we suggest investing some creative work into making it shine again.

You can find tons of DIY tips on YouTube and Instagram. In most cases, all you’ll need to do is:

• removing the dirt and old finishes

• stripping it down

• sanding it

• painting it into a new color

• replacing the missing or broken pieces, such as handles and knobs

You can even make old furniture look like new and modern pieces to make sure it fits into your space. Upcycling and reusing is definitely the best sustainable home décor practice you can use.

2. Choose Sustainable Materials

While reusing old furniture and décor is a great way to save the planet, we simply have to buy some new items from time to time. Giving our home a new look is when we typically opt for purchasing new décor and furniture, but this, too, can be environment-friendly.

All we have to do is choose sustainable materials, meaning:

• made from renewable sources

• responsibly sourced

• can be recycled once they deteriorate or we don't need them anymore

Luckily, you have tons of choices to pick beautiful home décor items made from:

• bamboo

• jute

• wool

• organic cotton

• hemp

• any recycled materials

You just need to do your research and see where you can order or buy these items, making sure you’re not harming our environment. 

The great thing about these items is that they’ll look great in your home, making it feel more natural and welcoming. Plus, they’re better for your, and you’re family’s health.

3. Embrace Secondhand Shopping

Secondhand shopping isn’t just great for clothes. It works with home décor and furniture as well. 

You can find brilliant items in secondhand shops, some in great shape and some in need of reparation. The furniture and décor that end up in such shops are usually disposed of because the previous owner wanted something new and different, not because they're not good anymore.

So, take a trip down to:

• vintage shops

• shrift stores

• flea markets

There are even online shops with secondhand furniture and décor, so the whole process is made super-easy.

4. Decorate With Plants

When we talk about home décor and interior design, plants often get disregarded or forgotten. Just because they’re not your typical home décor product doesn’t mean we should forget to mention them.

Plus, can there be anything more sustainable and natural than plants?

Indoor plants have a ton of benefits for you and your home:

• apply to all interior design styles (just choose the appropriate pots)

• they range in size, shape, and color, so you can create a look you like

• they create a natural ambiance

• they have a calming effect

• they improve the quality of air in your home

• they’re low-cost

They do require some attention in terms of watering and nurturing them, but this, too, can be a relaxing and stress-reducing process you'll learn how to enjoy.

5. Find Local and Sustainable Art

Art, too, can be sustainable or not, depending on where you buy it and who’s making it. 

Mass-produced paintings sold at huge furniture stores are not the best option when you’re on this mission. This is especially the case when they’re made of toxic or non-sustainable materials.

So, to find art that will look great in your home and still be sustainable, you should:

• explore local artists

• find home-made art on social media

• choose art made from eco-friendly materials

Pay special attention to botanical art and natural materials art. 

Botanical art is a form of art in which artists use leaves, flowers, and other plant materials as the main tools for creating art. They assemble and arrange them to create artistic shapes and forms which can look great on your house walls.

Natural materials artists use stone, branches, shells, sand, seeds, feathers, pinecones, and similar materials to create stunning art. They process it minimally using sustainable materials and create fully eco-friendly pieces of home décor.

6. Buy Multi-Purpose Items

Sustainability is also about being practical and not allowing consumerism to take over. Buying multi-purpose home decor and furniture items is another responsible way to stay eco-friendly in your great looking home.

Multi-purpose items are those that serve more than one purpose and can typically be used back and forth without much trouble. Here are some of the most popular choices for minimalist and decluttered homes:

• storage ottoman

• storage coffee table

• children’s bench with toy storage

• Murphy bed, aka wall bed

• sofa bed

• extendible crib

• drop-leaf table

You can find a number of these and similar items that will fit your space perfectly, save you money, and help you stay sustainable. This is especially practical for students who live in small spaces and need room for a study area to prepare for exams, write papers, and finish projects. If you’re one such student, this professional essay writers review can be handy for finding academic help when needed.

7. Reduce Synthetic

Synthetic materials are most commonly made of plastic. Exposing yourself, your home, and your environment to too much plastic is extremely harmful. This is especially the case since we've learned about the horrible effect of nano plastics on our overall health.

Still, so many people choose synthetic materials for home décor, disregarding the dangers of using them. This is mostly because they're cheap, easy to access, colorful, and often great-looking. 

But reducing synthetic in your home is essential if you want it to be more sustainable. Here are just some of the items you can easily find in non-synthetic form:

• rugs

• curtains

• bedsheets

• upholstery

• mattresses

• children’s toys

• kitchen towels

Instead of using synthetic, go for linen, organic cotton, hemp, and other eco-friendly types of textiles that are becoming more and more available.

8. Choose Timeless Design

Finally, try not to opt for designs that are tied to a current trend. Rather, try finding timeless pieces of décor and furniture that will look good in any year or era.

This can be applied even to house construction and planning to avoid often remodeling. If you need any assistance in planning, designing, or implementing construction products, CADdetails.com is a great resource.

Final Thoughts

Making responsible home décor decisions and interior design choices is worth the effort. We have to contribute to global environment preservation and make small steps for big changes.

Luckily, there are tons of sustainable home décor options today that will make any home look amazing. Use the practices we’ve shared above to make your home look amazing while staying eco-friendly.

---

Author’s Bio: Jodi Williams is an interior designer and blogger focused on implementing innovative design practices to create healthy, great-looking living spaces. He advocates sustainability and green design. He also covers topics related to the ethical and moral side of this story.

Cover image by Frames For Your Heart on Unsplash