It can be very difficult to style your home and remain ecologically and ethically sound. The difficulty is in knowing where to start, where to get ecological and ethical home products and how to use them. However, it is worth doing; not only will your conscience remain clear but you may end up with a superior aesthetic.
Through eco styling we will be able to address the balance between the three aspects that make up the essential elements of any Eco Chic space: Technology, Nature and Vintage. Where there is a deficiency of one in an area you can look to boost that with smaller styling touches.
By using technologically advanced materials such as paints we give space and clean lines to a room – this will keep it feeling light and spacious.
By using nature we offer a ground quality to the space that helps us re-connect to nature on a wider scale, allowing us to be soothed by natural materials and marvel at the calming beauty and inspirational quality of nature’s designs.
By using older vintage pieces we borrow from their sense of history, glamour and status. The trend for using vintage chandeliers for instance, lends a space a feeling of opulence and grandeur, but located in the right space (such as one filled with natural materials) it will add a richness that takes that message further, without seeming flashy or vulgar.
The accessories around your home don’t need to be highly functional; they are about making your home reflect who you are. They are about expressing your sense of taste and current style, your past histories and experiences, your dreams and aspirations. So choose carefully and make them work for you and your home.
If you are buying goods that are made in your own country there is a chance that labour costs won’t replicate those found in developing nations where people power is still dominant. So we must respect and support the creative industries of designer/makers who add richness and style to our culture. If it was a member of your own family making those products, you would expect them to be paid a fair wage for what they made. By buying from local makers we are also encouraging manufacture closer to home
Sometimes in order to ensure that products have a minimal environmental impact greater care and attention will have to be paid to them. This time and care inevitably can cost, but why should the environment have to bear the cost of the products we bring into the home?
The key questions any eco-designer needs to ask themselves when choosing materials and products are:
- How was it made and with what materials sustainable or recycled?
- Where was it made and by who, has it had to travel far?
- How will I use it – is it energy efficient, and durable, multi functional?
- Where will it go once I’ve finished with it, and is it biodegradable or recyclable?
Ask yourself these questions you’ll be on the right track. If it still all seems a bit much, consider hiring an eco interior designer with sustainable building credentials.
If however, you prefer to do it yourself, a great place to start your new Eco-Chic interior is with UK made, hand screen-printed with water based inks, high grade wallpaper made from cellulose fibres from sustainably sourced trees.
To claim a 10% discount on any wallpaper at www.ecocentric.co.uk, quote voucher code 10WALLPAPER at checkout.
EcoCentric is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more