No, I don't mean by painting your walls olive (though that is a nice shade). I mean by choosing furnishings that are eco-friendly. It is now possible to be eco-minded and still buy furniture that is trendy and reflects your personal style, without spending a ton of the other green stuff.
When looking for environmentally sustainable furniture, look for it to be labeled eco-friendly. Wooden pieces should come from renewable sources or from a company that is certified for only using wood that is not treated with chemicals and is not taken from protected areas. Search for products that are locally made and minimize shipping distance. Choose fabrics that are unbleached and use chemical-free dyes. And look for natural and renewable materials such jute, bamboo, mango, teak, cork and organic cotton.
Another great way to reduce the impact on the environment is to shop at thrift, resale and antique shops to find vintage pieces and furniture you can repurpose. Paint and reupholstering are easy and have a huge impact!
Think you will try to incorporate eco-concious design into your next refresh? Let me know how it goes!
oooohhh I love that wooden coffee table!
ReplyDeleteI know, isn't it great! I have seen versions of this around locally as well.
ReplyDeleteThanks Tracey!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad that I found your blog- I have a similar design taste and am very eco-minded. Beautiful blog...
ReplyDeleteHowever, just a note about bamboo fibres- bamboo textiles as a eco-product is misleading. Because bamboo is fast growing, it is a superior product for use in place of wood- flooring, furniture, cutting boards. However, as a fabric, the case as a superior renewable resource loses advantage. Growing cotton & flax, for example, is comparable but for bamboo to become a soft fibre a considerable amount of toxic chemicals are required to make it into fibre. The processing of bamboo is highly toxic and is responsible for polluting water near it's production facilities in China.
Just sharing some info I had researched- sadly, bamboo fabric is another example of trying to cash in on the environmental movement using misleading information.
@cred
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your comment and for sharing this info on bamboo. It is good to know about the fibre process.
I agree with you, it takes some research to understand what is really eco-friendly and what only appears that way.
Please add info like this whenever you can. Thanks.