Concern about the overall health of the planet has grown exponentially. There are marches everywhere to push governments into action. With the climate changing and global warming altering our environments it’s no surprise that environmentally friendly interior design has become a growing trend. As homeowners, we can do our part by making our home a more eco-friendly environment. It is always important to consider those who are living in a home as i is not just the beauty of that house that matters but also the well-being of the homeowners and the visitors as well. Aside from looking into the safety of a home, it is also important that the health of the people in it is considered. Having a more eco-friendly home environment is not only good for mother nature but it is also good for our health and well-being. Being surrounded with organic and natural-derived materials will give more health benefits than being surrounded with plastics and chemically processed products.
By using sustainable practices while designing and decorating your home you can improve your carbon footprint. Not only does a green design help combat things such as air pollution, but it also can improve your health and well-being. The biggest focus of eco-friendly home design is to improve the indoor air quality and reduce our impact on the environment.
1. Plants as decoration
Plants can help filter air and would aid in removing harmful chemicals in the room. Aside from the health benefits it can give, it also adds beauty to our homes and gives it a natural and fresh ambience. To improve indoor air quality, one can place Golden Pothos, Snake Plant or Gerbera daisy. According to a study by Dr. Bill Wolverton in NASA, house plants can help purify indoor air quality from pollutants. This gives more reasons to start planning our next trip to the nearest garden nursery.
2. Take advantage of natural sunlight and energy-efficient lighting
One of the best ways of creating an eco-friendly indoor is by letting the sunlight in and maximizing daylight. One can do this by using skylights and open shades. Using daylight in lieu of electrical lighting can be of great advantage to us because it can save electrical bills and prevent the emission of pollutants inside the house. Doing this can healthier for both us and the environment! Not only natural sunlight is a great source for vitamin D which is amazing for our skin, a home with many windows also gives an illusion of space. At night time where natural sunlight is nowhere to be found, it is advised for homeowners to opt for energy-efficient light bulbs such as Halogen Incandescents, Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) and Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs). An average household dedicates about 5% of its energy budget to lighting. Switching to energy-efficient lighting is one of the fastest ways to cut your energy bills.
3. Use organic and naturally-derived decorations.
Forget chairs and tables made from plastic moulding. Natural wood and other organic or sustainable materials make amazing furnitures. Bamboo is a fantastic option, but better yet: buy antiques and used furniture whenever possible. This way, while we give a new life to these furnitures, we get to do our part in recycling old furnitures. Additionally, keep in mind that particleboard and medium-density fibreboard (which is made from compressed shaving and sawdust) are bonded together with synthetic glues and resins that often contain formaldehyde, which is a potential allergen to humans and carcinogenic to animals. By contrast, good quality wood furniture is held together by wood joinery, which minimizes the need for VOC-laced adhesives. Besides wood, stones like marble are a more elegant approach to making a home interior more eco-friendly.
Decorating a home’s interior using the eco-friendly approach may seem intimidating but with so many nature-derived sources around us and by recycling, not only we save tons of money but we also help to create an example of how easy it is to create a more eco-friendly home. When it comes to home interiors, sustainability generally denotes eco-friendly decoration and design, using materials that focus on improved air quality and reduced environmental impact. Having an eco-friendly home gives a lot of benefits which includes the improvement of one’s health as they promote a more organic environment.
