As consumers learn about harmful chemicals and unethical labor practices common in conventional product development, many make the choice to purchase sustainable products and work with green interior design firms when redesigning their home. If you are considering choosing a green interior designer, first learn what makes sustainable design important.
The average individual spends anywhere from 80 to 90 percent of their time indoors. Whether at home or at work, you are surrounded by furnishings, finishes and materials like flooring, wall coverings, and cabinetry. If these are not sustainable, they may off-gas toxic substances or emit chemical compounds that compromise your health.
Conventional design makes use of low-quality materials that often contain known toxins and pollute the environment during the manufacturing process. Not only can these environments make you feel bad, but they are bad for the earth. In the workplace, you might be breathing in a chemical rug cleaner or fumes from wall paint, developing a headache from the fluorescent lights above you, and sitting on a chair covered a with flame-retardant chemical coating.
Now, imagine that you go home. You relax on a recycled fabric sofa set on sustainable bamboo wood flooring. The paint on the walls is low-VOC and the LED lighting is soft and pleasing. You aren't breathing in any toxins and you are surrounded by furnishings that are just as beautiful as they are meaningful and low-impact. Your rugs are all natural and easy maintenance. There are no finishes that contain formaldehyde or other toxic compounds.
Green interior design does not have to mean crunchy or hippie. A sophisticated interior designer with a solid grasp of sustainable products can help you redesign your space to remove design elements that are not sustainable and replace them with earth-friendly options that match your design aesthetic and fit your budget. Better yet, if you are building a new home, you can start with the best materials from the outset and know that you will never have harmful toxins in your home. The cost to use green products in the beginning is negligible over traditional options.
If you are considering working with a green interior designer, ask to see a portfolio of their residential design work. This can give you an idea of the designer's aesthetic and talent, and help you select a skilled professional who can bring your home redecorating vision to life with products that minimize your environmental impact and contain no known health hazards. To feel happier and healthier in your home, adopt sustainable design ideas.
To learn more about green interior design, and see how it can transform your interior, speak with a qualified green designer at Sesshu Design Associates. You can contact the studio at 480-275-2968.
Source:
http://www.usgbc.org/articles/healthy-sustainable-interior-design-conversation-asid
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