This post will break down what the concept of sustainable interior design is and why it matters. You can also expect to find expert tips and the most common myths to be aware of when it comes to designing your home consciously!

This is a guest post from Kelly Butler of Gratify Home, an interior stylist helping women confidently create sustainable, beautiful spaces that tell their unique stories through virtual 1:1 coaching or room eDesign.

What is Sustainable Interior Design?

Most people think about sustainable interior design as an approach based on a set of principles to reduce negative or increase positive environmental impact. And, that’s true, of course. But, I don’t think the definition stops there — true sustainability requires a more holistic definition.

Sustainable interior design is a connected ecosystem. It begins with you and your loved ones in your home (your health, happiness, and comfort), connecting to the planet, and from there, rippling to the people who made your home goods in the supply chain and to our societies at large.  And finally, the outer ring of this ecosystem is composed of our world’s economies and cultures.

This holistic approach encourages us to think more broadly about what we bring into our home — and gives us more choices of how we style our interiors for beauty and impact.  

Why Sustainable Interior Design Matters

1. Exploited Labor in the Supply Chain

When standing in a home goods store, browsing through a stack of beautiful rugs, the last thing most people consider is that the rug they’re looking at was made with exploitive practices. The U.S. Department of Labor reported that carpets and rugs, textiles, brassware, and furniture are known to be produced with forced and child labor.

According to Goodweave, “carpet kids” sit at looms for up to 14 hours per day, using sharp tools to weave carpets with no access to education. Some are trafficked to loom sheds far from home — often under threat of violence — to work off a family debt that can never be repaid on meager wages.  

While this example is specific to the rug industry, you can find similar stories of exploitation in other categories of home decor and furniture, too.

2. Furniture Waste

10 million tons of furniture go into landfills per year, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. That’s 20,000,000,000 pounds of furniture dumped each and every single year.

The rate of furniture waste is accelerating as the rise of flat-packed furniture has created a “fast furniture” culture similar to fast fashion, and a mindset that we can buy furniture cheaply and then dispose of it when it doesn’t last. 

Just as there is a growing movement to return to a slow fashion mindset, the home industry in desperate need of a slower furniture cycle.

3. Illegally and Unsustainably Forested Wood

$17B of wood (which is used for items like wooden furniture) is traded through illegal forestation every year. The recent Amazon fires and threatened rainforest habitats sound further alarms, yet the U.S. leads with the highest demand for wood furniture. The environmental effects of illegal logging include deforestation, the loss of biodiversity, and greenhouse gas emissions.

Illegal logging has contributed to conflicts with Indigenous and local populations, violence, human rights abuses, corruption, funding of armed conflicts, and exacerbation of poverty.

The Case for Change

The problems laid out above make the case clear for why we need to change how we approach styling our homes.

That said, it feels better to me to work with my clients from a place of opportunity. 

Currently, Pinterest fuels our desire for more beautiful spaces and “before and after” images can be found everywhere, from Instagram to HGTV. But what if those “after” images went deeper than a pretty picture? What if each finished space also had a backstory of a positive impact?

That vision is what drives me as an interior stylist, and it’s what drives my clients. We want more than a pretty space — we want that space to feel deeply connected to our personal stories and most importantly, to our values.

Sustainable Interior Design Tips

1. Buy Fair

Fair trade is an approach to business and to development based on dialogue, transparency, and respect that seeks to create greater equity in the international trading system. For more details on fair trade principles, visit FairTradeFederation.org.

While the fair trade home decor was initially limited to handmade trinkets, the space has grown to encompass other areas of home goods, including home textiles, linens, furniture, and decor.  

Sustainable Interior Designer’s tip: These neutral White Canvas Curtains from West Elm hang beautifully and can fit in with just about any decor style. The curtains are sold as a set of two, reasonably priced, and filter out just the right amount of light. Make sure to hang your rod close to your ceiling molding to make your window look larger. 

2. Go Treasure Hunting 

Vintage lovers, rejoice! We’ve never had such access to quality vintage furniture online.

There are informal platforms supporting local trade like Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist (which are great places for finding affordable sustainable furniture). And there are online marketplaces (both peer-to-peer and curated) like AptDeco, Chairish, Apartment Therapy Bazaar, Kaiyo, Etsy, 1stDibs, One Kings Lane, and Jayson Home.

I also love carousing my local antique shops, flea markets and thrift shops for the best finds!

And, nothing beats the patina of vintage pieces to add a layer of depth to your home.  

To minimize the carbon footprint of shipping large items, prioritize buying vintage furniture locally where possible.

Sustainable Interior Designer’s tip: Take measurements of the areas in your home that need a piece of furniture. For example, your entryway wall. A good rule of thumb is to allow 36 inches of foot traffic for main areas and 24 inches for secondary areas. Plug your measurements into your phone so that when you’re out shopping locally or online, you have the right dimensions at hand.

It helps me keep track of the pieces I need and that I’m willing to invest in. It’s often far more difficult to return a vintage item (if you are even able to return it at all), so having the right measurements protects your investment.

3. Prioritize Sustainably-Sourced Wood

The most sustainably-sourced wood is the wood that already exists! Look for reclaimed wood wherever possible — Etsy has many options and home retailers like VivaTerra and Viesso also offer reclaimed wood collections.

For finding new furniture made from responsibly-sourced wood, the most widely used and globally recognized certification continues to be the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). 

We’ve already touched on the problem of illegal forestation, but something else worth noting is that China imports the most illegally harvested wood in the world. And, unsurprising, the United States has the highest demand for furniture produced in China in the world. So, for any furniture imported from China, it’s especially important to look for third-party certifications like FSC. 

Another resource for finding sustainably-sourced wooden furniture is the Sustainable Furnishings Council. The group collaborates with the National Wildlife Federation to publish an annual “Wood Furniture Scorecard“, ranking dozens of brands on their wood sourcing practices. 

Sustainable Interior Designer’s tip: Find FSC-certified wood furniture at mainstream retailers Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, and CB2 by searching “FSC” on their websites or check out smaller eco-friendly furniture brands like Medley Home, Sabai, and Avocado Mattress. 

One of my latest favorites is this moody blue Irving Queen Nailhead Bed with its beautifully curved lines.  

4. Look for Non-Toxic and Eco-Friendly Pieces

This is a broad category, but it’s worth calling out here. Eco-friendly can mean low VOC’s (volatile organic compounds), sustainably grown fibers, recycled content, non-toxic, and more.  

One label to look out for to avoid harmful chemicals is OEKO-Tex Certified, which is a standard of testing textiles for regulated and non-regulated substances harmful to human health.

Another important certification for furniture is Greenguard Certified, which ensures low-chemical and low-particle emissions.

When looking for home textiles and linens (think bedding, curtains, and even upholstery), look for the Global Organic Textile Standard. GOTS is the leading standard for organic textiles, both in the fashion and home industries.

For pieces with latex (some mattresses, pillows, and sofas), you can look for the Global Organic Latex Standard, which ensures that the latex was sourced in a socially and environmentally responsible manner. Products with the GOLS certification must have at least 95% certified organic raw material, according to Control Union, the certifying body behind GOLS.

Sustainable Interior Designer’s tip: Choose a high-quality sofa with classical lines that won’t go out of style, which extends the lifespan of your piece. One of my favorites is the neutral Carlisle Upholstered Tightback Sofa with English rolled arms. It’s classically chic but still laid back enough for a nap, and it comes in several sizes and fabrics. The sofa is tested and classified as low-VOC and free of toxins.

Common Myths About Sustainable Interior Design

Myth busting is one of my favorite things, especially when it helps my clients to think differently about their perceptions and ultimately allows them to make choices they feel great about in their homes. 

Myth 1: Sustainable interiors is only about where I buy furniture. 

Sourcing is important, but it’s not the whole picture. Aside from where you buy your furniture, one of the most important ways you can style your home sustainably is to consider versatility, longevity, and quality.

Versatility means challenging yourself to think about how a certain furniture or decor piece can be used in at least three ways so that you can use it in another room or another home.

Consider, for example, that a three-drawer chest can be used as a nightstand, a bar station in your living room, or a printer stand in your home office.

And quality is interconnected with longevity, because the higher quality your item is, the longer you will have it, experience joy from it, and use it. 

Myth 2: Sustainable interior design = minimalist

There was a time when sustainable interior design was equated with modern and minimalist aesthetics and not much else. However, the market is growing and there are styles out there to suit many different tastes, from farmhouse to boho, traditional to mid-century modern. 

Broadening the definition of sustainability means more makers which are operating under one of the umbrella principles.

Myth 3: Sustainable interior design is expensive

It’s understandable why many people assume this, and it is certainly true that a sustainable option can be more expensive in some cases.

But, as discussed above, buying secondhand and vintage (or even sourcing used furniture for free through apps or family) is sustainable.

These options can often be more affordable than new sustainable furniture or even be available at lower prices than new “fast furniture” in some cases. Today, there are more options than ever for shopping pre-loved furniture that make buying vintage easier and more accessible. (See “Go Treasure Hunting” above for some suggestions!) 

Most importantly, reframe your budget definition to be long-term. Investing in a quality piece and buying once rather than buying cheaper options that then have to be replaced sooner is often more affordable overall.

But don’t worry — you don’t have to blow your budget all at once. Start small and improve the quality of pieces in your home gradually.  

If you need some support or guidance with sustainable interior design, my services (which are detailed below) are designed to be attainable because I believe sustainable interiors are for everyone.  

How to Get Started with Sustainable Interior Design 

For weekly free training on sustainable interiors content, tips and inspiration, follow Kelly on Instagram @gratify_home and visit her website gratifyhome.com. You can also grab Kelly’s quick checklist of 6 questions to ask before you buy a piece of furniture for your home.  

If you’re feeling ready to create a sustainable space you love and you feel stuck or overwhelmed, set up a free Design Breakthrough call. During this 20-30 session, Kelly will help you create a crystal clear vision for the conscious goals you have for your home. 

She’ll also uncover hidden challenges that could be preventing you from creating a home you love. You’ll leave the session renewed and inspired to finally create a home you feel deeply connected to, that tells your unique story, that you’re proud to share. 

Kelly’s Story

I entered the sustainable home styling space quite unexpectedly through happenstance. A 30-day trip to India to consult with an education nonprofit stopped me in my tracks. Walking through the slums in Mumbai, I began to challenge my understanding of sustainable income and how business could be used to address poverty. I started to challenge myself as a future social entrepreneur.  

When I returned home, I followed my curiosity about sustainable and conscious practices and married that passion with my love of home interiors. I saw a gap in the market for sustainable home interiors outside of the luxury market. I wanted to create services that were accessible to many, not just a privileged few. My business, Gratify Home, was born and I took the leap from my corporate career of 20 years to focus in this space!

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The post What is Sustainable Interior Design? Tips, Tricks, and Common Myths appeared first on Conscious Life & Style.

This is a guest post from Kelly Butler, the founder of Gratify Home.

I have a confession to make—actually, several confessions.  

I’m a newcomer to the ethical consumer space. I never received formal training in interior design. And I stumbled into this space by sheer happenstance. I live a dual life working in corporate at a large tech company and as the passionate founder of Gratify Home. Have you wanted to make the leap from ethical fashion into creating a welcoming, beautiful ethical home? Read on.  

If you’re reading these words, I know you have a big heart. You’re already well aware of the positive impact you have on the world through ethical fashion. The industry is now well-established and although there’s so much awareness and work still to be done, the foundation for the ethical fashion market is built. The impact of #whomademyclothes and the dedicated community of people like you is making a difference.  

But, when it comes to the ethical home style market, it’s not so well established. Sure, there are some green lifestyle and zero waste blogs out there, but when I searched for bloggers who were creating beautiful spaces using ethical design principles, I came up empty. You see, I’m an interior design nerd. Styling a coffee table, obsessing over just the right rug, or testing out pillow patterns can bore (or overwhelm!) most people to tears – but that’s my jam. I receive random text messages with fuzzy pictures of a friend’s living room, asking me for goodness sake, can I come help style their bookshelves? Or a message while my mom is out shopping – what do I think about this throw blanket? And I’m all too eager to step in. 

Setting the context

My point of view is that we can have it all. We don’t have to sacrifice style for ethics in our homes, but it requires some mindset changes to achieve.  To me, it’s not all about only fair trade. Or only vintage. Or only sustainable. It’s about combining these principles to create a holistic view of an ethically designed home and setting goals to make progress towards styling more mindfully and consciously.  The approach is one of progress over perfection, with the acknowledgment that this market is not as well-defined, and being perfect or applying pressure or judgment alienates others from stepping in to participate and learn.  We’re all in various stages of ethical purchasing for our homes, and that’s OK.

In some ways, you can take your existing ethical fashion principles and overlay them easily to your home. But in other ways, ethical home styling is different from ethical fashion. Many things you buy for your home (especially furniture) on average have higher price tags than the clothing in your closet. The value behind what you buy is magnified, as is the opportunity to affect social change with your purchase. Buying vintage—again, especially furniture—for your home requires more careful planning and consideration. 

It’s not as simple as trying on an item of vintage clothing to ensure the right fit. Aside from buying vintage, it can be more challenging to find a breadth of sources for buying fair trade and other types of ethical certified home goods.

When styling home interiors, there are several broad principles that I’ve identified that I hope can help you:

1. Limit consumption

This doesn’t necessarily mean living as a minimalist (though, more power to you if that’s your style). I would consider limiting consumption in home decor in three major ways. 

First, it’s about reusing more of what you have. Painting a piece of furniture to better fit a room, covering a loud print vintage chair with a more modern slipcover, using a breakfast table as a library table in a different room. 

Second, it’s about buying vintage instead of new where possible and feasible for your space.  There are 10 million tons of furniture going into landfills per year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.  10 million tons.  The rate of furniture waste is accelerating as the rise of flat-packed furniture has created a “fast furniture” culture similar to fast fashion, and a mindset that we can buy furniture cheaply and then dispose of it when it doesn’t last. 

Vintage furniture buying is getting easier as more and more companies have taken curated collections online, though the downside comes with high shipping costs and higher environmental impacts of long-distance transport.  For this reason, I recommend shopping locally for larger pieces of furniture.

And finally, limiting consumption is about buying more flexible pieces. One of the key questions I work with my clients to help answer is “What are all of the places in my home that I can use this piece?”

With a little creativity and commitment, you can purchase more responsibly knowing that there’s a long term future for the item and that it won’t be discarded. I recently decided against a sectional sofa in favor of two separate couches, as I know we’ll one day move to a smaller home and I want flexibility in using my couches differently with a new floor plan.

A few of my favorite flexible furniture pieces are console tables (to be used behind a couch, in an entryway, or to hold a TV in the bedroom), neutral armchairs with clean lines (to be used in main living room seating, to fill the corner of a bedroom reading nook, or in the entry as a place to put shoes on), and poufs (to be tucked under a console table to save space for extra seating, or to be moved in front of a chair to comfortable put up your feet).

2. Look at the value beyond the price tag

So often, we associate value with a price tag; hence, the term “sticker shock.” But I bet you’ve explored the value beyond the price tag with some of your ethical fashion pieces and thinking about cost per wear in addition to ethical production and materials. Buying for your home is similar.

Questions to ask yourself before investing in a piece for your home are:

• How long can I expect to use this item?
• Where are all of the places in my home I can use it?
• Can it be used for different purposes?
• How much wear and tear is expected?
• What is the quality? Is it well-made and sturdy?
• How trendy is this item?  

I recommend, for the most part, sticking with neutral fabrics for major upholstered furniture to maximize flexibility and budget. The look can easily be changed by updating pillow covers or throw blankets. One other consideration is that the cleaner the lines and the more classic the shape, the longer you can expect to keep the piece.  I advise against going along with a trend for a major furniture purchase that you’re likely to soon tire of.

3. Learn who made the item and how their lives are impacted

Fair trade is a cause very close to my heart, as I bet it is to yours, too. I’ve done some fair trade home goods product testing and have found that not all fair trade is created equally. My advice is to buy only what you love, rather than sacrificing and buying something only because it’s fair trade.  Buying a fair trade item that you don’t love may feel conscious at first, but you’re less likely to keep it in the long term and that creates other issues. Be aware of product reviews of the quality before buying.  

At first, I was challenged to find a breadth of fair trade home goods, beyond trinkets and textiles. But, the more I looked, the more I found. Some of my favorite sources for fair trade are earthy accessories from Connected Goods, modern profile mirrors and global decor objects from The Citizenry, and seriously sumptuous sheets from Boll & Branch.

As I continue researching within this space, I’m on the lookout for home goods certifications that place human rights and anti-slavery at the forefront, with transparency in the supply chain. I recently came across Goodweave, an organization working to address the issue of 152 million children globally who are forced into labor. According to Goodweave, “carpet kids” sit at looms for up to 14 hours per day, using sharp tools to weave carpets with no access to education. Some are trafficked to loom sheds far from home—often under threat of violence—to work off a family debt that can never be repaid on meager wages.  

Goodweave creates an assurance on behalf of importers and manufacturers that the foods they make and sell have been produced without child labor, forced labor, or bonded labor – through the policies and programs including unannounced inspections.  Now, you can search for and purchase rugs with the Goodweave label here.

4. Discover how home goods impact the environment and our health

This principle is certainly intertwined with buying vintage as well, to limit our consumption for environmental impact. There is a wealth of considerations in this category that I’m learning more about and this topic could be a significant article on its own, so here I’ll focus on considerations when buying new wood furniture.

According to the Illegal Deforestation Monitor, $17B of wood (which is used for things like wooden furniture) is traded through illegal forestation every year. The recent Amazon fires and threatened rainforest habitats sound further alarms, yet the U.S. leads with the highest demand for wood furniture. 

As companies in the U.S. try to market themselves as responsible, there are a number of wood certifications popping up that just aren’t substantiated with true transparency.  The gold standard for buying new wood furniture continues to be the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). 

One of my favorite resources for FSC certified furniture is Elizabeth’s comprehensive blog entry on sustainable furniture so you know where to buy.  In addition to her recommendations, I’ve found more mainstream retailers shifting their wood sourcing to FSC certified collections, like Williams Sonoma and CB2.  Search their sites with “FSC” to see the results for products matching the certification criteria.

5. Prioritize quality craftsmanship and the uplifting of global cultures

In our world of instant gratification and demand to have the perfect room put together overnight, there’s something to be said for taking the slow road. We’ve talked already about the impact of quality on the longevity of your home goods, and quality is directly related to craftsmanship. When buying home goods, I seek to examine how the item was made and how the purchase can uplift global cultures and crafts. The story behind it makes my home feel more meaningful, more complete.  

Buying artisan-made isn’t always feasible, but I enjoy supporting artisans, global and local, who have an incredible specialized skill that shows in their craft. You can support your favorite local artisans at craft and art shows.  Though there are now so many options to choose from online, I’ve curated my favorite sources and here are a few to try: modern rugs, mats and pillows handmade in Egpyt by Kiliim, colorful fair trade hand-blocked textiles from Saffron Marigold, and contemporary and diverse wall baskets from KAZI.

Above all, you should know that you don’t actually need to make the leap into ethical home styling—it can be a small step. Progress over perfection starts with awareness of what’s out there, both for product sourcing and styling principles that will have you well on your way.  

Interested in learning more?

• Register for Kelly’s free training on November 11, The Top 5 Mistakes in Ethical Home Styling: How You Can Overcome Them to Create a Home You Love
• Follow the Gratify Home Blog
• Follow Gratify Home on Instagram and Facebook

Gratify Home is launching a limited time new program on November 11, The Ethical Chic Home Kickstart, to help you overcome the overwhelm to create a welcoming home you love while staying true to your values of uplifting people and planet.  Kelly will lead you through identifying your style, creating a simple space plan for your room, bringing in your personality, and finally, how to source your home goods at your own pace. Follow Gratify Home to be notified when the program goes live.

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About Kelly

Kelly Butler lives a double life in corporate America and as a passionate founder of Gratify Home. She gets out of bed in the morning to inspire women to create meaningful beauty in their homes while uplifting people and the planet. She loves the challenges of working with women who feel overwhelmed with the comparison of their homes, who feel that decorating their home just flat out takes too much time, who find it hard to locate ethical options that meet their budgets, and who don’t want to figure it out all on their own.

After spending 30 days in India, walking the poorest slums in Mumbai on a mission to re-imagine the strategy of an education nonprofit, Kelly became obsessed with sustainable business models. When she returned to her home in Atlanta, she knew that she would never be the same again. After some soul searching (and maybe a few ugly crying sessions), she began to get clarity. As a lover of interior design, Kelly researched how she could decorate her home while making positive impacts. But, to her surprise, the searches came up empty…she just couldn’t find a voice out there around ethical interiors to share the information she needed—so she created it herself.

Now, Kelly authors the Gratify Home blog focused around ethical interiors and works with select clients one on one with ethical room eDesign. Kelly is a mom to two fantastic sons, ages 15 and 12, and married to high school sweetheart, Jeff. Her family lives in Roswell, Georgia with their miniature dachshund, Blue.

The post How to Make the Leap from Ethical Fashion to an Ethical Home appeared first on Conscious Life & Style.