Depending on the owner’s taste, a home can take on many looks. Some homes even feature multiple design styles from room to room! Home decor isn’t about what’s trending but more about what feels like home to you. Many people want their homes to reflect their love for the planet and the natural world around them, and one of the best ways to do this is through eco-friendly decoration. What exactly does eco-friendly decor look like?
1. Natural Lighting
Your home has access to a free, clean, renewable source of light all day long—the sun! Not only does the sun bring warmth and light to a home, but it also can calm down a stressful day or lighten the mood in a room. Natural lighting makes a home look cleaner, brighter, and happier. If you like the natural light look, you can further decorate your home to amplify the sun’s powers.
If there are walls that the sun bounces off of more than others, consider painting or decorating them with light, reflective colors to enhance that effect; white, beige, yellow, or warm pastel colors are perfect for this. Light wood also reflects the sun quite well. Consider installing large, expansive windows to allow more sunlight; white or light kitchens can truly glow with decently sized windows.
In addition to natural lighting, consider using any artificial light as sustainably as possible. Eco-friendly lighting includes energy-efficient bulbs like LED bulbs and solar-powered lighting when applicable. Exterior lights are perfect for solar power, as they’re always outside!
2. Repurposed Materials
Do you ever notice stores or residents getting rid of excellent furniture? You don’t need to go dumpster diving, but many eco-friendly furniture and decor stores use repurposed or recycled materials to create furniture or decor. You can also consider using some of these practices in your home decoration.
Reclaimed wood makes excellent furniture, shelving, or decor. Woven furniture or baskets can add homely storage or porch furniture. Wood isn’t the only natural, recyclable material; metal, glass, and stone can be reclaimed and repurposed in furniture and decoration.
3. Natural Textiles
Cotton, linen, wool, silk, and leather make beautiful upholstery, curtains, and pillows. These are all prime examples of natural fibers that don’t harm the environment or create harmful greenhouse gases. These materials come in different colors for many style preferences and can make lavish draperies, furniture styles, tablecloths, and more. If you like textiles like these, consider implementing them over polyester or other unnatural fibers in your home design.
4. Indoor Plants
Nothing quite says green like, well, green! Indoor plants add an exotic but comforting look to any home. Ferns, flowers, or palms can accentuate any decorating style. You can even get creative; consider vines lining cabinet tops or shelves, a ‘living’ wall, or windowsill herb gardens. If plants aren’t your style, that’s okay. You can get artificial plants made with natural fibers if you lack a green thumb.
5. Roof Design
Roofing doesn’t precisely scream home decor, but a home’s roof style can significantly affect its overall appearance and curb appeal. Additionally, the color and material of a roof impact your home’s energy efficiency! When roofing can’t reflect sunlight well, it can’t filter warmth. That warmth ends up in your home, overworking your air conditioning and costing you money in energy bills.
If you’re choosing a roof for a new home or need a roof replacement soon, consider the materials and color of your roof. Metal roofing is modern and versatile and can absorb many of the sun’s warming rays and redirect them away from your home. Solar roofing allows you to transition to renewable, clean solar energy without worrying about solar panel placement. The ideal home roof varies depending on location. Some examples are below.
Florida
Florida has a very humid, hot climate most of the year, and roofing should be able to endure those conditions easily. Additionally, Florida sees a lot of high wind and tropical rains, so it should be able to take on water quite well.
Florida roofers install a lot of metal roofing for these purposes. Clay and concrete tiles are also an aesthetic choice that is more affordable and durable against hurricane-force winds, especially in southern cities like Miami and Key West.
Missouri
Missouri has a more temperate climate, with colder winters but sizzling summers. Like Florida, Missouri sees high winds in the form of tornados, so roofing should be well-prepared. Large cities like Kansas City or St. Louis with higher incomes are resorting to metal roofing for its wind durability and elemental protection.
Slate roofs are standard in these areas, heralded in older homes for longevity. A roofing contractor in Kansas City can tell you which roofs are best for your home’s location within the city.
Colorado
Colorado has much colder winters for longer. Blizzards and heavy snowfall are expected during the winter, especially in Aspen and Denver. In summer, however, Colorado can flip a switch and see temperatures of over 100. Once again, metal roofing is a contender for its heat and water resistance, but roofing companies are even seeing cedar roofing grow popular for its eco-friendliness.
6. Interior Designer
You can hire many interior designers who use natural, sustainable, and recycled materials in their designs. If you need help decorating a space, contact a professional and tell them your goals. If you want an eco-friendly oasis, they can quickly achieve that.
7. Go Local
Supporting a local business is a great way to avoid resource waste and boost your city’s economy. As a bonus, many small businesses use handcrafted or sustainable materials in their wares. Local furniture or decor stores may be the perfect solution to your home’s design drought.
There are many valid ways to decorate a home. However, with the rise in eco-friendly decor and furniture, many are considering how their home decor impacts the world around them. Implementing natural lighting, fibers, and materials into your home’s design can make a difference. Natural lighting and fibers also present a calming effect, regardless of style preference.