10 Sustainable Ways To Decorate Your Home
Flipping your home, but don't want to gut your space and dump it all at the landfill? Well, you don't have to 🌍
It’s time to tip out your screws from our recyclable packaging and lay out your tools 🧰
Decorating your home can seem daunting at first. Especially when there are so many tasks to tackle and decor to source. It’s easy to just throw away the old, to then purchase conventional materials and homeware you’d find in your local DIY store – most of which aren’t actually produced with the environment in mind 😕
Luckily, you don’t have to compromise on your interior goals for the sake of the planet. There are plenty of eco-friendly ways to help you decorate your home. That includes reusing and recycling your old homeware, shopping second hand furniture, as well as sourcing biodegradable decor supplies 🖌
Whether you’re giving a full-blown makeover to your bedroom or just looking to refresh your living room, here’s 10 ways you can pull it off sustainably 🙌What is a B-Corp?
When looking to decorate your home sustainably, we recommend turning to B Corp certified companies, selling environmentally conscious products 🤝Certified B Corporations, or B Corps, are companies verified by B Lab to meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. In other words, if anyone’s to pro-actively manufacture planet-first products and conscious services, it’s B Corp businesses ✅
Eager to learn more about what it means to be a B-Corp? Visit our B-Corp FAQ page 🌍
1. Clean paint brushes
If your old supplies look like they could last another job, then simply re-use them. Are they covered in dried-up paint? Try softening it up with warm soapy water. Once softened, work the soap through the brush bristles and rinse with clear water 🚰
Our suggestion? Use Wilton London’s naturally scented washing-up liquid, for an extra guilt-free rinse. They contain naturally derived ingredients, instead of the usual nasty chemicals 🧼2. Stock up on eco-friendly painting supplies
Can’t seem to recover your old painting supplies? It’s time to invest in some high-quality essentials, which are either reusable, recyclable or biodegradable. Check out Lick’s decorating kits – these include everything you need to start painting eco-consciously, including bamboo roller frames and sugarcane pulp paint trays 🎍Shopping for environmentally friendly paint isn’t too difficult, with brands like Lick supplying Low VOC, eco-friendly and water-based paints. The next big problem is just paint waste. Here’s a hack to reduce paint waste. Just secure a rubber band around your tin to seal your paint and wipe off excess paint 🎨3. Try biodegradable DIY supplies
Every project calls for a dust sheet. Rather than shopping for single use plastic sheets, try out Lick's dust sheets, manufactured with an additive that helps them degrade much faster 🚮If you're looking to upgrade your tool kit, try out our hand-made screwdriver sets, featuring an all-natural, biodegradable beech wood handle. They're even supplied with standard sized interchangeable bits that can be easily replaced when eventually worn out 👌4. Revisit and reuse the old
When it comes to hardware, it doesn’t get more eco-conscious than reusing what you’ve already got at home. If your old brass hardware looks grimey, give it a quick clean with warm soapy water. Now that it’s salvaged, you can repurpose it.Convert your knobs into hooks to keep clutter to a minimum, with our knob to hook conversion kit. You can even install handles on walls or under shelves for a practical hanging rail 🪁
Have no other option but to replace your old brass hardware? Before shopping for new knobs or handles, send over old brass hardware to us and we’ll recycle it for you ♻
5. Introduce handmade furniture
Materials used for furniture are often not biodegradable or recyclable, then piling up in landfill sites. We can do our part by sourcing ethically and sustainably handmade furniture. Not only will this add a personal touch to your space, but you’ll be reassured your investment won’t pose a threat to the planet 😌Browse Nkuku’s range of stylish furniture, including everything from elegant coffee tables made from reclaimed metals to hand woven hemp rugs 🧶6. Shop soft furnishings
To make your space more inviting, soft furnishings are key. House of Hackney is a carbon-neutral brand, offering a variety of patterned curtains, blinds, bedding & blankets, all handcrafted in England using sustainable materials 🧵Need a complete furniture makeover? Reupholster your headboard or office chair with one of House of Hackney’s statement-making fabrics 🛋7. Hunt for second hand homeware
Add character to your space with second hand homeware. Ian Snow stocks vintage homeware, with everything from colourful candle stands to vintage fire bowls. All available products are made from either recycled, upcycled or sustainable materials 🙌Looking to refresh your tableware or need a sleek vase? Check out Fable, offering local, recycled clay products that are made to last 💐8. Hang wall art and decor
Art Finder is a platform for artists, aiming to make art more affordable, accessible and a viable career for artists. Kick your feet up and have a browse, all whilst reassured you’re shopping unique pieces that directly support creativity in communities around the world 🌍If you’re feeling inspired, you can even have a go at creating your own art, like @chez.shez 🖼9. Wind down wisely
Candles and fragrances are a must-have to create an ambient atmosphere. Usually derived from petroleum-based paraffin wax or artificial fragrances filled with chemicals, it’s ever-important to invest in candles made from natural ingredients 🕯Check out Neom’s collection of fragrances, including candles and diffusers which use 100% natural and sustainable ingredients and where possible, organically certified, environmentally-conscious packaging 🎁10. Selling your next property?
Eager to plan ahead for selling your next property? You’ll be at ease when working with a value-driven agent that promises to make as much of a positive impact in the world as possible 👩🤝🧑🏻A great example is The Modern House. Inspired by the principles of modernism, The Modern House represents design-led homes across the UK that pay attention to space, light, materials, nature and decoration 🏡Get decorating 👷♂️
With plenty of direction as to how you can decorate your home sustainably, which steps will you take first? Share your eco-friendly home decor journey by tagging us at @plankhardware 🏷
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