Home Staging and Styling - London

Many of us are becoming interested in making our lifestyles more sustainable, but have you thought about how eco-friendly your interiors are? Here, Alison Hughes, Interiors Director at Coast Road Furniture shows you how to match your home décor to your lifestyle.

Over the last few years, more and more of us have become interested in making eco-friendly changes to our lifestyles. A recent survey by Deloitte found that 85% of consumers had adopted at least one lifestyle change last year. The data also shows that 61% of respondents reduced their single-use plastic usage, and 39% bought fewer new goods than they did the year before.

However, despite interest growing in sustainable living, another study has revealed that 22 million pieces of furniture are discarded every year in the UK. The pieces thrown away go straight to landfill, rather than being sold or donated. So, how can you make sure that your home décor is lining up with your other sustainable actions?

Here, we'll take you through some tips that you can use to create a sustainable, relaxing home.

Buy British-made products

One of the best things that you can do to ensure your interiors are more eco-friendly, is to buy British furniture and interiors. These don't have to be shipped around the world to get to you, so you'll save on your carbon footprint. As a bonus, your products will probably arrive faster because of this.

Britain has a long, rich history of furniture craftsmanship, and you'll benefit from design houses and makers with decades of experience. So, not only will your pieces be more eco-friendly, they'll also be high quality and come with a unique style influenced by years of British interior design.

Faux leather and vegan furniture

You might be sceptical of faux leather and vegan alternatives, but they have come a long way in recent years. The technology can create beautiful furniture without leather, that stands the test of time. As well as faux leather, you can explore fabrics such as velvet and cotton. These fabrics work excellently for bedding, cushions, and as coverings on sofas and armchairs.

A fabric sofa in particular can be extremely cosy, while faux leather is very easy to clean. If you do want to stick with leather furniture, try finding retailers who source their leather more sustainably.

Use more natural materials

You can explore natural materials in your home décor, and this will support businesses who use low-waste production methods and less intense chemical processes. Materials and products to look out for are finishings such as bedding made of cotton and organic silk, baskets and boxes made of wicker, and unvarnished wooden furniture.

All these components will also add a natural, relaxing aesthetic to your interiors, and create a stylish colour scheme. As well as the neutral tones of these materials, you can find fabrics that have been dyed with natural dyes. Look for throws, cushion covers and sheets where natural and plant dyes have been used, to introduced some eco-friendly and stylish colours into your home.

Add some house plants

Including plants in your home décor will make your rooms look beautiful, add a relaxing atmosphere, and improve the air quality. Excellent low maintenance plants that have a striking look include the cheese plant, peace lilies, and spider plants. Add them on surfaces or in large planters on the floor to add a natural, green feature to your home.

It's also possible to grow your own herbs in your kitchen, such as basil, thyme, oregano and mint. These can add a homely touch to a kitchen, as well as being useful for cooking.

Buy vintage furniture pieces

Buying vintage furniture can be extremely fun, and very rewarding. You'll get a beautiful heritage piece, and can make investments in designers that you like. Many vintage pieces are in excellent condition, or may have been restored or upcycled to make something new and unique.

By including vintage pieces in your home décor, you can make sure that an object is getting another life, and introduce a new style angle into your interiors.

If you are interested in making your interiors more sustainable, use these tips to get started. Using more eco-friendly home décor products can not only make your household more environmentally friendly, but also revitalise your interior design in the new year.