Interior design is constantly evolving, and with increasing environmental concerns, designers are looking for ways to create stylish and timeless spaces that are also sustainable. Recent research by the EPA estimates that 9 million tons of furniture are tossed away each year – equating to around 5% of everything brought to landfills. This is alarming, especially considering the amount of food waste and packaging materials thrown away alongside it. Not only is this sheer volume of discarded furniture a considerable waste of resources, but it often isn’t a wise financial investment either.
This article will examine the benefits of utilizing eco-friendly materials and secondhand furniture in your interior design plans to create timeless, aesthetically pleasing, more sustainable, and cost-effective spaces.
The Benefits of Working with Recycled, Upcycled, and Secondhand Furniture to Create Timeless Spaces
Luckily, sustainable design has become increasingly popular in recent years as more and more people begin to recognize the importance of minimizing their impact on the planet. While some may believe investing in pre-owned furniture will result in a dated look, this isn’t the case. There are countless ways to ensure your home looks fresh while still working within a sustainable framework. Here are some ways designing with a more sustainable mindset can benefit you:
Reducing Waste and Environmental Impact
Sustainable materials such as reclaimed wood, recycled fabrics, textiles, and plastics encourage waste reduction and improve our environmental impact. With the rise of the fast furniture trend growing yearly, the opportunity for higher emissions of toxic chemicals and carbon emissions into the air increases significantly.
Deana McDonagh, a professor of industrial design at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign School of Art and Design, explains that fast furniture and clothing trends should be treated “similarly to fast food.” It satisfies an immediate need but lacks sustainable nutrition.
Therefore, sustainable interior design should be centered around using more biodegradable, recycled, or reusable materials free from toxic substances. This, in turn, helps you create a healthier space that lasts longer and generates less waste.
Creating a Truly Unique Interior
Sustainable interior design offers a unique opportunity to simultaneously be creative and environmentally conscious. Using more environmentally friendly materials allows you to create a timeless interior that you’ll love for years to come. You are also reducing your ecological footprint by avoiding mass-produced fast furniture that quickly goes out of style. Whether sourcing pieces from a local craftsman or shopping recycled goods and environmentally friendly furniture secondhand, you will reduce your ecological footprint and achieve your desired unique style.
Embracing the Longevity of the Design
Interior design that embraces sustainability is on the rise, and for a good reason. These environmentally conscious decisions are about choosing pieces with longevity in mind. For most furniture, this short lifespan is due to a lack of proper construction and cheap materials such as particle board and harmful plastics. It might surprise you to learn that much of the furniture currently cluttering landfills today was made within the last 10-15 years.
According to sustainability expert and author of Give a Sh*t: Do Good Ashlee Piper, “It’s usually new furniture that’s being tossed…things like a chair that’s missing a leg or things with cosmetic damage.” So, incorporating more sustainable materials is critical if you want pieces that stand the test of time in your home. Shopping around and investing in quality products will set you up for longer-term success and reduce our strain on the environment.
Greater Affordability
Making sustainability the foundation of your interior design can be a great way to create a timeless look and save money in the long run. By purchasing secondhand, recycled, or upcycling furniture for your home, you can create an interior that looks both classic, chic, and cost-effective in the long run. Buying higher quality pieces might seem like a more expensive investment to shop upfront; however, these purchases will outlast new items purchased from big box stores. Meaning you won’t have to replace them frequently, saving you time and money long term.
How to Create a Sustainable and Timeless Look in Your Home
Whenever designing your own home, it can be challenging to make sure you’re creating a timeless and simultaneously sustainable look. Blending these two ideologies is challenging when balancing current trends and creating something unique. Thankfully, you can take a few approaches to ensure the organic materials used in your space, furniture, and decor leave a minimal carbon footprint. Here’s how:
Choose Furniture, Decor, and Building Materials Responsibly
Creating a sustainable and timeless home can be easier with the appropriate materials. Thankfully, eco-friendly options have come a long way in recent years, allowing us to prioritize environmental well-being while considering our design aesthetics. You may not find any signs of unethical practices besides your favorite furniture or decor pieces on store shelves. Still, unfortunately, child slavery and old-growth forest destruction are significant issues plaguing the mainstream industry.
To combat this, we should take it upon ourselves to learn more about where the furniture and decor come from. We should also opt more for renewable materials such as concrete, cork, bamboo, etc., that require minimal chemicals to produce and put less stress on the planet’s resources. Additionally, shopping locally or purchasing secondhand whenever possible saves on production and transportation costs – ultimately making a more considerable impact over the long run.
Embrace “Slow Decorating”
Embracing the slow decorating trend is an excellent way to create a sustainable home that stands the test of time. When you take your time with the process, you better understand your home’s max potential and pinpoint the pieces that best represent your unique style. Rather than considering slow decorating as tedious, it can be much more enjoyable if you approach it with intention and patience.
That’s why New York-based interior designer Amy Baratta suggests creating a space that evolves over time by investing in quality pieces meant to last. This will create something personal and cherished versus wasting time, energy, and money on things you don’t really want. Following this method can make an appealing atmosphere reflecting your style while ensuring it doesn’t become outdated too quickly. In essence, slowing down during the decorating process works to lessen our environmental impact in the long run.
Think More Simplistically
Creating an interior that is both timeless and sustainable doesn’t need to be complicated. Minimalism should be at the heart of your aesthetic, focusing on quality over quantity by avoiding clutter and not over-decorating. This allows you to be more intentional in creating more luxurious and expensive-looking interiors. Simplifying what you bring in your home also allows you to be mindful of only having what you really need, saving resources from being cut down or wasted. An interior with minimal decor and maximal purpose can go a long way for the environment and your personal satisfaction.
Select the Most Appropriate Lighting Options
Creating a timeless interior design for your home can be an enjoyable and exciting experience, especially when choosing the perfect lighting. Using natural light whenever possible is the best way to go, as that is a free source of light that requires no electricity. However, sometimes you cannot rely solely on natural light, and you need to source other illumination sources.
In this case, choosing energy-efficient bulbs such as CFLs and LED light bulbs is crucial, which offer significantly lower electricity usage than conventional incandescent bulbs. Energy savings are considerable – CFLs use 20% less energy while LEDs use up to 75% less energy – plus, they last up to 25 times longer. It’s well worth exploring the options available when selecting light fixtures in order to create an elegant, sustainable home environment.
Add Greenery and Plants for Additional Health Benefits
Bringing nature indoors is the perfect way to create a timeless and sustainable home. By adding plants and greenery, we not only enjoy the design aesthetics but also gain many health benefits. Plants help purify our homes’ air by releasing oxygen and absorbing carbon dioxide.
On top of that, houseplants can help remove volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that come from cigarette smoke, vinyl products like shower curtains, plastic grocery bags, and more. By bringing nature into our homes, we can create beautiful spaces while still being mindful of the environment.
How Kaiyo Can Help Create Your Dream Interior Sustainably
Purchasing secondhand, recycled, or upcycled furniture is not only a budget-friendly way of livening up your home, but it’s also an easy way to positively impact the environment.
As we currently live in one of the most wasteful generations yet, there has never been more significant importance for creating a sustainable interior space. By embracing secondhand items, you will support the circular economy and combat overconsumption. All while helping reduce environmental hazards such as carbon dioxide emissions from extractive processes and manufacturing.
At Kaiyo, we understand the importance of creating a comfortable space for you and the planet. That’s why we are proud to provide all of the interior decorators and home improvement enthusiasts out there the opportunity to design their dream homes sustainably. What’s more, is our carefully curated selection of secondhand furniture and decor is sourced from some of the top-rated brands and can be purchased at up to 90% off retail pricing.
To date, Kaiyo has kept over 4 million pounds of furniture waste out of landfills – tens of thousands of trees saved. Shopping with Kaiyo lets buyers rest assured, knowing our products are built to last and come from sustainable sources. Plus, you’ll be happy to know that we plant a tree for every purchase made. So, shop sustainably with us today and see how easy it is to design a beautiful, earth-friendly home!
