Top Tips for Creating a Sustainable Living Room
Sustainability has been one of the watchwords when it comes to interior design trends for the last few years. The Bespoke Shutter Company design and install natural wood shutters in North London, Hertfordshire and Essex. In this article, we provide some top tips on how to create an eco-friendly lounge, which should look stylish, help the planet, and save you money on your bills.
A Corking Idea
Cork is a natural choice for a sustainable lounge, particularly when it comes to the floor. It’s soft and durable, is easy to walk on, and is a good insulator, so it will keep the heat where you want it – underfoot. Cork can also form an integral part of various items of furniture, for instance it can be used as a table top or a lampshade.
The tree it comes from – usually the cork oak tree - isn’t felled to produce the wood, which helps save on carbon emissions. The bark is usually stripped out so the tree can replenish itself naturally.
Bamboo Boost
Another alternative material to use, rather than some more conventional furniture, is bamboo. This is usually grown without the recourse of pesticides and other artificial (and potentially) harmful substances. It also regrows very quickly and helps with the oxygen-carbon dioxide balance in our atmosphere.
Like cork, it’s versatile and has many of the same properties, so you can use it on your floor, light fittings, chairs and table mats (pictured above).
Think Multi-Functions
The more uses you can put your furniture to, the fewer demands you are placing on the planet, and the fewer of its resources you are using up. So try to purchase items which can be put to more than one use such as ottomans which can be used for storage, and sofa beds which can be used in both the lounge and the bedroom.
This is particularly useful if space is at a premium, not just in your living room but elsewhere in your home.
Recycle and Upcycle
Buying second-hand has plenty of advantages – again, because you are reusing something, you are helping save the world’s natural resources. And, with a bit of imagination, you can upcycle items into something new and stylish.
For instance, you could try:
- Converting an old trunk or suitcase into a coffee table or footrest
- Turning an old ladder into a bookshelf or shelving unit
- Reupholstering stools with other, unwanted fabric
- And breathing new life into a chest of drawers by wallpapering the front sections.
These are only a few ideas; the only limit to recycling and upcycling is your own imagination.
Swap Out Synthetics for Natural Fabrics
Instead of going for synthetic materials, consider more natural options like jute, seagrass, or recycled wool. The wool option, along with velvet and cotton, particularly applies to any furniture, particularly the sofa, whether you are buying a new one or looking to reupholster an existing one.
All these materials are not only better for the environment in terms of production, but they're also naturally durable and free of microplastics.
Install Natural Wooden Shutters
Natural wood shutters again come from a sustainable source; they look good and won’t need as much ongoing care and attention as curtains. Shutters also help you to reduce heat loss (in the average home, most heat escapes through doors and windows), so you can save on your utility bills and cut down on your carbon emissions.
Shutters also help keep rooms cool in summer, and warm in winter – in the case of louvred shutters, you can adjust the angle of the panels to ensure the temperature is just right.
Natural Wood Shutters in South London from The Bespoke Shutter Company
At The Bespoke Shutter Company, we supply and install many different types of plantation shutter in London, Hertfordshire and Essex. These include café-style, tier-on-tier, solid, full-length and shaped shutters – and we haven’t yet found a window we can’t fit a shutter to.
Our natural wooden shutters are made of cedar, which will help give your home a natural, warm feel that won’t go out of fashion. For more information on the advantages of cedar shutters, check out our previous blog post here. If you would like one of our free, no-obligation consultations, fill in the online form on this page and we will get back to you.
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