Global warming and climate change is becoming more apparent as daily temperatures rise and extreme weather events occur more frequently. Although governments around the world are working hard to slow climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero, these efforts will be futile unless individuals like you and me play our part.
If you care about the environment and want to live a more sustainable lifestyle, this article will show you how to build an eco-friendly home to reduce your carbon footprint.
But first, what is sustainable design?
Sustainability in interior design is the approach to creating home interiors that seeks to eliminate negative environmental effects. These designs should aid in lowering one’s carbon footprint, reducing waste, creating a healthier environment, and reducing the use of non-renewable items or energy.
1. Work with the right interior design company
The home renovation process in itself can be a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Large amounts of emissions and waste can be avoided if you work with the right interior design company.
When they conceptualise an interior design for your home and go through the home renovation process, interior designers wield a great deal of power. It is up to a designer’s expertise to create designs that use as few materials as possible while reducing the amount of waste generated by your home renovations. So, for example, using the same piece of material for different parts of your home so that you don’t have bits and pieces of material to throw away.
2. Create timeless spaces
When interior designers plan, the lifespan of the materials should also be considered. This is to avoid having to replace the materials or remodel your home every few years due to damages and wear and tear.
Furthermore, if you choose to have your home designed in a timeless style, such as the minimalist design style, your house will never be out of style, and you will never have to remodel it to stay in trend.
Minimal interior design also means using fewer products, materials, and energy, lowering your carbon footprint.
3. Choose sustainable materials
Instead of choosing manmade materials that go through multiple stages of processing, which can contribute to a large amount of carbon emissions, choose organic materials with the least environmental impact, such as wood, wool, natural stones, or bamboo. Terrazzo is another good choice because some of them are made from recycled materials. You should also use non-toxic materials.
It might seem irresponsible to use natural materials, but if you were to only purchase from sustainable suppliers, this wouldn’t be a problem. For example, responsibly sourced wood is sourced from environmentally friendly forests, and trees that were felled for our use will be replanted and allowed to grow fully.
There are labels, standards and certifications that provide credible information about the origin of a product, which can help you better identify which products you can purchase for your sustainable home.
4. Energy-efficient design
Last but not least, in order to truly reduce your carbon footprint, you must keep an eye on your energy consumption. Energy consumption is a major contributor to climate change, and your consumption will have an effect on our environment.
Through their design, your interior designer can do a lot to help improve the energy efficiency of your home. Among the factors are:
- Installing windows that can keep the sun’s heat out, keeping your home cool and avoiding the use of air conditioning. Even if you do turn on the air conditioner, the air conditioner will not have to work extra hard to keep your home cool. Thus, reducing your energy consumption.
- Choosing the right lighting and colours for your home so that you don’t have to turn on any additional lights. Lighter colours reflect more light, while dark colours make your home appear darker. When you use more vibrant colours in your home, light bounces off surfaces, illuminating every part of your home.
Creating an eco-friendly home for sustainable living is an excellent way to begin reducing your impact on the environment. Eco-friendly homes can also look beautiful, just like any other home.
Starry Homestead is an interior design company in Singapore that specialises in residential and commercial interior design. The team is dedicated to transforming spaces into stylish and functional interiors that meet your needs. Get in touch with us today to build your dream home.
