Creating an eco-friendly home can be challenging, but it can also be an exciting and enjoyable experience. You don’t have to renovate your entire home to live in a more sustainable space- there are small things you can do instead. The following are some eco-friendly interior design tips for your home.
Pursue Alternative Materials
With the influx in people demanding more eco-friendly products, many manufacturers are starting to work closely with designers to create a variety of options for homeowners wanting recycled, reclaimed, organic and/or renewable materials. Environmentally friendly interior design products are beginning to surface and have sky-rocketed in the market. The following are some examples of alternative materials to use in home design:
- Bamboo
- Cork
- Reclaimed wood flooring
- Organic cotton
- Concrete
Lighten Up
One of the easiest ways we can lessen our carbon footprint is by changing our light bulbs. While there have been issues in the past with certain environmentally friendly light bulbs, technology has improved making the issues almost nonexistent. In addition to changing light bulbs, there are other ways you can lighten up your surroundings.
- Use task lighting for specific areas of the room
- Paint the walls a lighter color so it reflects the natural light
- Make sure windows are installed on the South side of the house to maximize light exposure
Painting Solutions
As technology advances, so too are the options for eco-friendly paint. Many manufacturing companies are hopping on board and providing customers with a wider variety of safe options. Regular paint contains VOCs, which affect the air quality due to the toxic substances it contains. That’s why low-VOC and no-VOC paints are well worth the extra penny.
Aesthetic Re-Use
There are plenty of things around our house that we want to keep, but have no room for. This is when creativity comes into play. You can easily enliven your new place by recycling your old things to add a stylish flair. You could do anything from creating an eclectic collage with old plates and silverware to using old carpet samples as door mats, car mats, animal mats, etc. The sky’s the limit!
This article was written exclusively for UniqueVanities by Mitchell Mechanical, a leading Atlanta HVAC company focused on serving the heating and cooling needs of metro-Atlanta and North Georgia since 1992. We pride ourselves on our knowledgeable staff and our customer first approach. Our technicians receive the most up to date training available and we stay on the forefront of home comfort technology to best serve our customers’ needs.