Sustainable and stylish, if you are aiming for an eco-friendly living room, you need to read this guide! Sustainability is a peaking trend at the moment with more and more people making conscious choices when it comes to furniture and materials. How can you create an eco-friendly living room?
Buy reclaimed wood furniture
For too long, when something was obsolete, we just threw it away. In old buildings across the country, there are all kinds of materials that can be salvaged and upcycled.
This is exactly what reclaimed wood furniture is all about. Hardwood beams and other structural wooden components are removed from buildings and, using the skills of woodworkers and other skilled craftspeople, are turned into beautiful furniture that is built to last.
In the living room, a reclaimed wood coffee table, for example, is simply stunning. Or, if you like the industrial look, opt for black steel and rustic wood display units as statement pieces.
The choice is continually growing and can be used to create a stylish living room landscape.
Natural AND sustainable materials
Not all natural materials are sustainably sourced or grown but with producers becoming more mindful and consumers more aware of the origin of materials and fabrics, the sustainability of an item is coming more to the fore.
Fast-growing and sustainably farmed, bamboo and wicker can be made into all kinds of things when it is dried and tied or knotted together.
A bamboo pendant light, for example, is stylish and a talking point but is also made from a natural and sustainable material. Similarly, a rattan coffee table adds a colonial vibe to a living room, whilst being eco-friendly.
Use non-VOC paints
Volatile organic compounds – VOCs – are carbon-containing substances that easily become gases or vapours. Major paint manufacturers are attempting to phase these out and so you have probably been using these for some time. But check the label and, if they do contain VOCs, don’t wash them down the plug hole are they are damaging to the environment.
Opt for recycled materials
The course of actions used to process materials are developing all the time and so many of today’s recycled items don’t look any different from the ‘usual’ ones we would turn to.
For example, the Seagreen recycled plastic mattress with pocket springs looks nothing like the plastic bottles it is made from, nor are the PET throws. Available in three beautiful colourways, these soft throws are made from recycled plastic bottles that fishermen have collected from the sea, adding warmth and detail to your eco-friendly living room.
Discover the power of LED bulbs
From strip lighting under the cupboards in the kitchen to ‘normal’ light bulbs in table lamps and pendant lights, the LED bulb uses energy efficiently. Not giving off heat, they are cheaper to run but also help to reduce your carbon footprint too.
Add houseplants
Plants are our friends – they soak up all kinds of goodness from the air which is great in the stylish, eco-friendly living room. If you are worried about your ability to care for them, the good news is there are some very hardy evergreen houseplants need nothing more than an occasional water now and then!
