Sustainable decorating

Decorating and redecorating are bound to raise questions in our minds: “Is what I am doing environmentally friendly?” This is indeed a very responsible attitude. Fortunately, we do not have to be irresponsible and destroy the environment to create chic spaces.

Kitchens: While decorating kitchens, you need to look for lasting beauty. Needless to say, the first material that comes to mind is stone. Thus, if you use granite for your countertops, you are going to have incredible choice and it is totally “guilt-free.”

You are never going to feel tempted to pull out the granite countertop and consign it to a landfill! When redecorating, try to save wood by updating only the fronts of your cabinets.
In our country, we could try using “sustainable woods,” such as eucalyptus or bamboo for cabinets.

Bathrooms: There are numerous ideas we can implement when it comes to bathrooms.
It is a given that we should install water-saving showers and toilets. It goes without saying that repairing leaking taps goes a long way in saving precious water.

Hot water is another major energy consuming feature in your bathroom. If you do not have a solar panel doing your heating for you, you should consider investing in instant water heaters. These prevent wastage (because geysers with tanks heat a tank-full of water which may not be used.) The rules for countertops and cabinets are the same in the bathrooms as the kitchens. Kitchen and bathrooms are the main areas where we can be green. But with a little imagination and common sense, we can decorate in an environmentally friendly manner all over the house.

Remember, even knickknacks can be wasteful or friendly. One common sense rule that professional decorators recommend is to “shop locally.” This involves buying products manufactured locally. This will save energy used in transportation.

There is a lot of information on the internet on this topic. Also, do not hesitate to ask questions when you are shopping.

Decorating in a sustainable manner will go a long way in preserving the planet for future generations. Do your bit!