WHAT A WASTE
The world of construction, architecture, and interior design often gets a bad rap for how wasteful it is. Demolition of entire buildings, interior office refreshes every 5 years, and materials that do not biodegrade are in abundance in the places we inhabit. Earth Day was celebrated a couple weeks ago on April 22, and it got me thinking of small ways that interior design in particular can incorporate more environmentally friendly approaches.
So how can we reduce waste in interior design? Let’s Jump in!
Reduce: One of my favorite resources for sampling interior materials is Material Bank. One of the reasons I love them (besides their convenience) is I can order a variety of different products, from various manufacturers, and they all arrive in one box. Less packaging, less shipping waste, and less time spent on deliveries than what it would be with all separate orders. Also, (this plays into the reuse) I can send the samples back and they will re-stock them for another designer to order, reducing samples thrown away when not selected or no longer needed.
Reuse: Simply put - in my own home, I love seeing if I can reuse things I remove from one area to use in another if I am refreshing. Having an overall home vision really helps with this - because in my home, I like white walls, black accents, deep green accents, and brown sugar/natural wood tones - so my baskets can be moved all around the house, my black frames can always find a new home, and the neutral base of one space is interchangeable with the next. This could be applied to any design that is intentional throughout a home, and it can even have exceptions (like kid’s rooms - my boys are rocking the blue mountain range in their space). It minimizes my urge to go buy something new every time I freshen up a room in my home.
On a bigger scale, organizations like Habitat for Humanity have a recycle program, or deconstruction program, where they will come and remove items of your home in a manner that they can reuse them in their homes or for resale. This of course doesn’t work with everything, but is a really tangible way to reuse interior items if you are embarking on a major renovation!
Recycle: Many interior manufacturers have programs in place to recycle their products after use. Milliken is one that comes to mind, as they are a carpet company that has intentional landfill diversion plans. Many other manufacturers (especially in the commercial world) implement similar ideas, including furniture companies that can recycle parts of their furniture.
In the residential realm, sometimes it is just as important to design for the end-user and homeowner to be able to recycle in their everyday lives. That could be designing a recycling bin into their trash drawer, intentionally planning for an in-kitchen compost location, or planning adjacencies to the kitchen and outdoor garden. There are many ways we can form our interior space to encourage recycling in our homes even if the actual interior furnishings in our homes are not recyclable.
Certify: The LEED Certification through the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) is a prime example of a large movement towards sustainability in architecture and interior design. While I have yet to see this program take hold in the Midwest, from what I understand the coasts and larger cities place more importance on this certification. In my experience, Midwest clients are interested in incorporating elements of sustainability without the upkeep and certification commitment. The WELL Building Standard is a similar approach to LEED but focuses greater on the health of the inhabitants of the building, which is an extremely important element and reaps rewards in the shorter term, compared to LEED which is designed to benefit the generations to come after us.
This only touches the surface of the opportunities to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle in the world of interior design. Do you have favorite ways around your home that you implement sustainable practices? Drop a comment, I would love to hear!
If you want help creating a home that is Intentional, Beautiful, and Yours - in the midst of daily living and your life season - check out my Signature Workshop. It’s designed to help you create a home that highlights your heart for your family, and I would love if you checked it out.
