Top Eco-Friendly Ideas to Decorate Your Home
Many would like to live in an eco-friendly home but also know the challenges of sustainable living. Documentaries like "Garbage Warrior" streaming on Prime Video, effectively show the many challenges that homeowners have faced while adopting this lifestyle.
However, decorating your home is one way to make changes unlikely to result in significant opposition from your neighbors or city officials. Decorating your home with eco-friendly decor is one way to live a greener lifestyle and have fun. Read on to learn more about some of the easiest eco-friendly ways of decorating your home.
Idea #1: Use Organic or Natural Materials When Possible
Natural fibers, such as bamboo or hemp, are excellent choices for linens. Although these products are more expensive, especially if organic, they are less likely to wear out as quickly.
Bamboo and wood are also ideal materials for decorative items, mainly if they have not been chemically treated. Another option worth considering is foregoing leather in favor of vegan materials.
Idea #2: Upcycle Existing Items, Instead of Buying New
Upcycling current items instead of buying something new is one of the best ways of decorating your home in an eco-friendly way. You'll save money, as well as keep otherwise unused items out of landfills.
Unused suitcases or similar items make excellent planters. Old blankets can have more productive futures as pillow covers. Thinking outside the box will go a long way toward finding new uses for old items.
Idea #3: Take Advantage of Plants or Plant Art
Plants are ideal for increasing oxygen and purifying the air, as well as being beautiful. Using pots made from natural materials like clay is a great way to make an eco-friendly impact.
Moss wall art is an increasingly popular natural way of decorating a home. One of the benefits of moss as an art material is its natural preservation.
Idea #4: Use Handmade Decor Items When Possible
Handmade decor items often last longer than their factory-made counterparts. You'll save a lot of money because you don't need to replace these items as often.
If the crafter that you buy from is local, this is a great way to help support local artisans. Supporting a local artisan is an integral part of sustainable living.
Idea #5: Avoid Plastic Decor When Possible
Many consumers interested in a more eco-friendly lifestyle avoid plastic because of its long decomposition time. Plastic is more common than you may realize, being present in materials like epoxy, glitter, and polyester fiber.
Another advantage of natural materials like glass or bamboo is less wasteful disposal options. Glass is easy to recycle in many locations, and bamboo is a biodegradable material.
Idea #6: Choose Secondhand Furniture or Repurpose Existing Furniture
Using secondhand furniture cuts down on demand for lumber and other materials that are not as sustainable. A bonus to consider is opting for secondhand furniture made from eco-friendly materials like rattan, wicker, or bamboo.
Many pieces of furniture, like kitchen or bathroom cabinets, can find new life as shoe racks or coffee tables. A fresh coat of paint or wood polish can give these pieces a whole new life.
Idea #7: Use Others' Castoffs As Your Treasures
Thrift shops and garage sales are often excellent sources of items you might repurpose. Examples include:
●Using old blankets or comforters to make new pillows or quilts
●Holding potted plants in position with a wine rack in a horizontal position
●Creating terrariums from old aquariums
Your imagination is the only limit that you'll need to face when selecting these items. After repurposing a few used items, you might prefer to get more of your decor items this way in the future.
The Takeaway
There are multiple eco-friendly ways of decorating your home. You just need to have access to the right items and use your imagination.
Photos:
"100% Eco friendly text on a price tag" by wuestenigel licensed under CC BY 2.0.
"3 little handmade Christmas tree decorations" by Salinafix licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
"Handmade gift wrap" by erika g. licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.