Choosing Eco-Friendly Products in Interior Design

Concerned about the environment? But still want a house that looks good?

Learn how to choose environmentally friendly products to enhance the look and eco friendly status of your home....

A really easy way to bring eco friendly living into your interior design, is to choose sustainable and environmentally friendly products for your home.

When you are making over your whole home, or just one room in your home, try to consider energy efficiency, the environment and eco friendly living in your plans…

Eco-friendly products can be easily incorporated into your interior design – a lot of ‘eco-friendly’ products can not be distinguished from ‘ordinary’ products, simply by their appearance.

So you can easily consider bringing eco-friendly products into your design, and still get the look, feel and style that you really want!

Many eco-friendly products are actually right at the front of cutting edge design trends - so it is actually quite likely that your eco friendly home will make you feel good on 2 different levels:

1. Virtuous over your eco friendly living credentials
2. Proud of leading the way in environmentally friendly, cutting-edge interior design.

Let's start with these inspirational video clips, for a few ideas on bringing sustainable living into the home...

Just click on an image to start the player ... and enjoy the show!

There are several ways that you can incorporate environmentally friendly products in your interior design:

Choose Sustainable Products

• Choose timber products from sustainable sources.
• It is usually marked on the product, to tell you if the timber is from a well managed, sustainable source.
• You should try to avoid:
  • imported timber
  • exotic timber
  • hardwood, or softwood from non-sustainable sources
• Good woods to choose for furniture and flooring are:
  • palm
  • bamboo
  • cork

Choose Local Products

• Some of the most eco-friendly products are locally produced products.
• If you choose local products, you can save an awful lot of energy, by cutting out all that transport and associated fuel use.

Choose Natural Products

• Choosing eco-friendly products in the the form of natural products is another great way of boosting your eco friendly living credentials.
• In this case, the eco-friendly factors are down to reduced chemical use and reduced energy use during the production process.
• Less chemicals reduces the toxins:
  • pumped into the atmosphere during production
  • leaking from the products into your home
• It will also be very beneficial to your health - as you are not exposed to these chemicals in your home, and in everyday living.
• Formaldehyde is the substance in furniture which is the most toxic, so try to avoid this, at all costs.
• This is found most often in MDF - so choosing timber from sustainable sources instead, is a very sensible choice for eco friendly living.

Choose Recycled Products

• Recycling is one of the most important considerations in eco friendly living. Recycled products are very eco friendly!
• You can choose products that are made from recycled products and substances.
• These are often very arty, quirky or forward looking. Many will make a real interior design statement in your home.
• Look for products made from:
  • recycled plastics: ex. mobile phones, records
  • recycled drinks cans
  • recycled glass, including glass drinks bottles
  • recycled tires
  • recycled scrap metals: ex. car parts, nuts and bolts
• You can also recycle by choosing second hand, antique and vintage products – furniture, textiles etc.









• You can get some great bargains, and really unusual finds, by shopping in flea markets, charity shops, car boot sales and on eBay.
• You might be lucky enough to find products in good condition and in a perfectly useable state.
• Your great finds might determine the whole direction of your eco friendly interior design makeover…
  • A vintage or retro look may be just your thing…
  • Or, check out one of these antique looks.
  • Don’t be put off if items look a little tired or worn. For a start, the Shabby Chic decorating look is definitely in this year – and may suit you down to a tee!
• You can always repair second hand items, or get creative, and make items over yourself.
• If you get good quality, wooden

Depending on how far you want to go, you can choose eco-friendly products as an integral part of your design. You an even base your whole design around your choice of eco-friendly products…

Or, you can simply try to work eco-friendly products into your home and desigm, wherever possible and convenient.

Whichever option you choose, remember that every little helps. Any small choice you make, to make your home more environmentally conscious, you will still go a long way towards sustainable eco-friendly living.

Look at information on decorating with eco-friendly and natural products.

Look at energy efficiency and eco friendly living.

Click here for more information about eco friendly living around the home.

Return to the main eco friendly house page.

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