A Guide to Sustainable Interior Design

What is sustainable interior design?

Sustainable interior design is, as the name suggests, all about creating beautiful interiors while minimising any negative impact on the environment. As environmental concerns are increasingly a part of the national conversation, so too is sustainability an increasingly important aspect of interior design.

Sustainable interior design has a few facets:

  • Design for waste reduction
  • Design for energy efficiency
  • Design for longevity

 

Designing for waste reduction

While it might sound complex, interior design for waste reduction is becoming a more common practice. It’s heavily focused around re-use and upcycled materials and furniture. Put simply, how can we keep things in use and prevent waste going to landfill. Where furniture is concerned some styles, such as English country and traditional styles, inherently promote the use of older furniture, but truthfully every style suits vintage and antique if you know how to work it in. It’s not just about furniture though, we need to consider flooring, kitchens, bathrooms, worktops and joinery in this too. 

Waste reduction can also be thought of in terms of a materials lifecycle. What happens when the item is disposed of and how does it break down? Natural materials (timber, wool, sisal etc) naturally perform far better here, since they biodegrade quickly without releasing any microplastics or petrochemicals into the soil. Natural materials also ensure the healthiest internal environment, with minimal Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s) toxic chemicals released from furniture, paints and finishes that you can inhale. While using natural materials can cost a little more, they are without doubt healthier for both you and the planet.

Designing for waste reduction is something looked at during the consultancy phase, where we can discuss what furniture you have, what the building offers and sourcing priorities. Focusing on waste reduction and natural materials can mean spending more on some areas, but buying second hand and retaining elements already in situ often saves money, helping to keep the  balance right.

 

Designing for energy efficiency

Energy efficient interior design is all about creating spaces that reduce energy demand, whether it’s a residential property, or a commercial one. There are a number of ways to approach this. Space planning to make best use of natural daylight means less artificial lighting. Heavy curtains help to insulate at night. If you are undertaking a larger renovation we can discuss building appropriate retrofitting for energy efficiency and direct you towards specialists where necessary. It is vital to understand your building prior to undertaking retrofitting – imposing modern solutions in an older building often results in problems. 

Another aspect is to incorporate the use of materials that have a low energy consumption in their production and are local, reducing carbon in transportation. Furniture that has been made in the UK from EU FSC certified timber, for example, or cork, which is sustainably harvested and provides excellent insulation.

 

Designing for longevity

Thinking long term is inherently sustainable, because if a space works for you and adapts to your needs over time you wont need to change it. Once we have gone through our design consultation phase we’ll know that we have baked your long term needs into our plans, and so we can focus on soaring high quality and sustainable interior furnishings and fixtures that are built to last. Our consultation process is designed to help draw out what’s important to you, and what you like, which helps us to plan for your needs and avoid potential pitfalls like following trends which might date your interior down the line. 

 

Sustainable vs green interior design

While there are definite overlaps and many use the terms interchangeably; there are some key differences between sustainable and green design: 

  • Green design focuses on ecology and practical solutions that reduce the immediate environmental impact of a project.
  • Sustainable design is much more comprehensive and involves environmental, social and economic considerations in an all-encompassing process to create ecological spaces that promote well-being.

If you’re interested in learning more about green design, I’ve already written about it! Just follow the link to my blog all about green design.

 

My approach to sustainable interior design

Sustainability is baked into my practice and I will always be thinking of it. When it comes to how I approach sustainability, it’s something that we chat about early in the project to assess how important it is for you. It’s not about forcing an agenda or a look; there are lots of ways to be sustainable and ensure we achieve your goals. We can discuss your priorities, concerns or criteria during the initial consultation phase and then I can work to your specifications for the rest of the project. Not everyone has thought of sustainability in active terms, but most people I meet are keen to get designs that will suit their needs long term and promote good health, which is inherently sustainable even if they haven’t thought of it that way.  Ultimately if we work together and I am sourcing for your project I will always have sustainability in mind, taking a flexible, informed approach: designing interiors that delight my clients and respect the environment as much as possible too. 

To see how I can help you, just get in touch for a free, no obligation consultation.

 

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