If you’re updating your living space or even creating a brand new area to relax in, keeping sustainability at the forefront of your design decisions can help you create a beautiful living space with character that doesn’t cost the world – or the environment either. Just follow these 3 tips for creating a sustainable living space.
Purchase with longevity in mind
Buying good quality furnishings and fixtures can be a little pricier than cheaply made budget items, but sometimes it’s worth paying that little bit extra to get something that lasts. Purchasing furniture with longevity (rather than giving in to ‘fast decor’ trends) is also more environmentally conscious since you won’t have to replace it until it finally breaks apart in the very distant future. Aim for neutral colours and textures that will go with any decor theme and can be matched easily if you do decide to redecorate again, and put all-purpose furniture at the top of your shopping list like versatile fitted wardrobes that won’t ever go out of style.
Be Practical
While sometimes you need to add luxury items (like statement statues or signature artwork) to your living space to give it that personal edge, making practical choices when creating an area to relax in can also make it more sustainable as well. Not cluttering up your room, for example, not only encourages you to buy less (and as a consequence, waste less as well) but has also been proven to increase your mental well-being. And when it comes to buying decor for holidays like Halloween and Christmas, make sure to invest in decorations that you’ll want to use again next year, rather than something that’ll just be a fad you’ll want to chuck out after the festive period over.
Repurpose and rehome
As well as only buying practical things for your living space, repurposing old furniture (instead of buying lots of new pieces) can also help you redecorate with sustainability in mind. Giving worn furniture a new lick of paint and upcycling your old favourite pieces can have tons of great sustainability benefits. Aside from minimising the volume of discarded materials and waste being sent to landfill, upcycling also reduces the need for production using raw materials – which in hand reduces air pollution, water pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions. A win-win for everyone involved!
If it’s time to well and truly discard your old furniture – and you don’t fancy your hand at upcycling either – another sustainable option is to rehome it. As long as it’s still in working condition and there’s potential for someone to breathe new life into it, donating your old furnishings to a charity shop or selling them on an online marketplace is an eco-friendly way to get rid of old waste.
The next time you want to try your hand at redecorating a living space, use these three tips to keep sustainability at the forefront of your efforts.
