Sustainable Interior Design for Eco-Conscious Clients
Introduction
As Gro Harlem Brundtland puts it, “Sustainable development is the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
Creative use of design is the key to making the most out of space, and being eco-conscious about this process ensures that the environment and you both benefit from this process. Also often referred to as biophilic design, sustainable design is an overarching principle that encourages both interior designers and architects to produce a space that is as environmentally impact-’less’ as possible, offering eco-friendly solutions to lower the carbon footprint and energy consumption of a home, office, educational space and all that much more.
Sustainable design rivals a more mainstream term, green design, which might not be all that it’s assumed to be. Green design, to speak, focuses on specific environmental issues, such as the ever-burgeoning plastic revolution, and opts to cut out the use of that material solely from a project. Yet, this is a temporary band-aid on the amount of ecological impact the space would generate in the future. Sustainable design, meanwhile, is much more comprehensive and seeks to include environmental, social, economic and cultural aspects into the initial considerations about construction; the project is ‘green’ through and through. The primary difference is, in sum, sustainability’s long-term approach to dealing with the environmental costs of constructing a space.
Sustainability in Design
Even if one is not an avid watcher of science fiction television and movies, we can pinpoint the vision of home life in the future: claustrophobic rooms and brutalist visuals of stark white walls and no decor. Should one lean into this interpretation, one can only assume that the future will be highly utilitarian and that the beauty and aestheticism with which homes are designed today will be an art relegated to only the uber-elite.
Yet thoughtful and eco-conscious design choices in this day and age can set the standard for what generations will know as the beginning of humanity creating habitats that work in tandem with their natural environments.
Sustainability as a concept is the result of a decades-long war that the human industrial machine waged against nature and is the culminating effort of mindful citizens to preserve the world we live in, for the present and the future.
Intention and Thoughtfulness
The underlying sentiment while constructing a home is to add benefit to the lives of the people who will inhabit it, and intention and thoughtfulness at the first step of construction can allow for a space to reach its maximum potential concerning function and style. Naturally crafted, aesthetically designed spaces boast an instinctual allure that harks to a time when we once dwelled in harmony with nature. This also offers a vision of elegant timelessness, comfort and sophistication in contemporary society.
Furthermore, using specific shade palettes and materials can help create an environment conducive to creativity, relaxation, concentration and comfort.
Eco-Consciousness
Eco-friendly architecture design encourages waste reduction, be it natural resources or fabricated building materials. Energy efficiency is a big ask, but it can be done. While most wouldn’t consider intentional interior design a step in the energy-saving process of setting up a space, it can aid any insulating or cooling systems you might install to work less intensively. A few steps that one might incorporate into planning include:
- Making alcoves and skylights to introduce more natural light, automatically reducing the use of artificial lights
- Using porous brick materials like red basalt stone for outer walls to provide cooling and moisture control
- Creating living walls or green roofs to better air quality
- Set up rainwater harvesting systems on rooftops and in backyards to preserve freshwater for in-home and gardening uses
- Installing water-saving taps and fixtures to reduce water consumption by tens of litres every single day
The Importance of Sustainable Interior Design
The most pressing concern of our age is the environmental and climate crisis, which affects everyone worldwide. More and more, you see brands and companies shifting to eco-friendlier practices every day, and the spaces you inhabit must do the same. While sustainable design for homes and offices is not a new notion, the technology and scientific innovations that have punctuated our major lifestyle shifts make it easy to come up with intellectual and long-lasting methods that will genuinely host the human race into a new era, one in which we live more in tune with nature. We give back to and nurture the planet we exist on. Our quality of life and our environment are paramount, and as we move forward, sustainable design seeks to protect it.
One can only underwrite the impact that sustainable design can have on a space, creating stylistic narratives of luxury, elegance and comfort and offering the streamlining of the various conveniences of modern living. User-focused design also allows interior designers to add pieces to a space that will ultimately benefit the people who inhabit it, optimising the use of items and assuring that the highest quality materials are used. Modern design with natural materials has begun replacing the plastic-centric manufactured items one might find in every home.
An innovative design firm seeks to utilise and create new methods through which a project or a space can be made more sustainable and reach the grassroots to yield low-cost and unique solutions. Because any materials one uses are directly related to the farming, harvesting and manufacturing industries, this determines their low- or high impact on the environment.
Materials and Practices for Sustainable Interiors
The Balance between Form and Function
A general rule of thumb within the sustainable movement is to find the intersection between form and function, to design and use items that exist at the meeting of an eco-consciously crafted material and intentionally invented blueprints. Without superfluous items, the space offers the user tranquillity and functionality.
To illustrate, using low-VOC paints is crucial in lowering the air pollution within your space. These paints release fewer chemicals into the air, last longer and are easy to maintain in the longer run. They quickly replace traditional indoor colours and mark the intersection between form and function, offering both utility and better quality for the same price, if not a lower one.
The concept of modular furniture has been around for ages, but it has been catching on as a trend recently. Modularity refers to the rearranging and adaptable capabilities of any single piece of furniture to yield various settings and manners of utility. For example, a sofa with three detachable parts might be reconfigured as two lounging chairs, one single-cushion sofa, one three-seater, and one chair. The opportunities to experiment with these forms are endless, and they’re a great option to consider should the space layout be subject to change.
Low-impact materials include those elements that may be renewable, recyclable, have a low emission index of volatile organic compounds (VOC), have low energy consumption in production, and require low maintenance in the long run. A few examples might be bamboo, glass, cork, natural stone and marble. Conversely, products like plastics, nylon, polyester and Styrofoam are notoriously difficult to break down, reconstitute and enforce a heavy carbon footprint on the environment. An innovative design firm might propose using alternative brick materials to create facade walls or recommend jute over polyester in the choice of sofa cover.
On the subject of artisanally crafted items, it might be better to opt for the splurge and get your hands on textiles, handicrafts and decor pieces that are produced by artists receiving a fair wage and making use of the best of materials, processed with methods that have been handed down through the ages and which are made to last.
Minimalism for the Eco-Conscious Citizen
A practical guide to minimalism might be the phrase, “To add value and meaning is to keep.” This helps one avoid the clutter that can force itself upon anyone’s living spaces while keeping items of both quality and utility close at hand. A minimalistic interior design style prioritises clean lines, reductive and uncluttered rooms and monochromatic or simplistic tones that use a certain number of restricted materials. This offers an unparalleled sense of aesthetic wholesomeness, punctuated by an open floor plan and lots of natural light.
Instead of having several pieces bunched together on a table, consider adding a multi-level frosted glass hanging lamp just above- creating depth in the space and offering visual complexity without using multiple items.
Addressing household linens, one might include fabrics and textiles of a similar aesthetic profile and production background to keep one’s material consumption ethical. This also allows one to curate a rustic design and style capsule, which can be referred to when any items must be replenished or replaced. Different textures, like wool and cotton, jute and rattan, and satin and handspun fibre, can complement one another.
Tropical architectural design can also use concrete flooring tiles, which moderate a home’s internal temperature, cut down on electricity and are very durable, recyclable and relatively cheap.
Low-Cost Solutions
This sort of interior design can be perfect for spaces that are more lowkey, as well as ones that might see a certain amount of traffic. Cafes, for example, can be stellar examples of the benefits of sustainable design due to their large-scale consumption of utilities, which can be moderated through innovative machinery. Secondhand furniture can be an excellent option for those willing to decorate their homes stylishly and with ethical considerations. Using an ornamental wardrobe or a dining table that’s been around for decades, one lends a classic vintage tone to the space and creates opportunities for other decor elements to interact with it.
Energy efficiency can be promoted by switching to halogens and LED lights, which can help save up to 70% of one’s annual energy consumption and reduce the amount of low-level radiation that makes its way into your home. These LEDs are available in the market in various colours and modes, allowing for the customisation of even lighting intensity in different parts of a space. This can add aesthetic values and a modicum of comfort to a home or office, allowing individuals to change settings for brightness, colour, tone and set timers that will streamline the absolute basics.
An eco-conscious client could even go one step further and install solar power generator plates on their rooftops and open spaces to generate electricity that can power the entirety of the project. This would inevitably manifest in the interior designer’s educated choice of energy-saving and generator-compatible lighting solutions.
For landscaping and incorporating plants as natural elements in the home, one can also consider choosing drought-resistant plantings, trees, shrubs and grasses to minimise water usage. Since plants are natural air purifiers, they can only add to the better air quality in a space, and they’re a relatively cheaper investment to make.
Terracotta makes for a great substitute in sustainable design; it can be used as flooring and roofing tiles, as material to create display elements as well as natural and handmade room dividers, and is widely applicable in all rooms of the home, including design for bedrooms, kitchens and living rooms. As it is very porous, it’s not recommended for bathrooms and balconies, but it is an excellent alternative to plastic pots for plants.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
A large part of maintaining an eco-friendly lifestyle is to make the most of what one has and to consume ethically. Instead of purchasing throw rug after throw rug or not making use of an entire dinner set due to one missing plate, it is vital to embrace the attitude that demands more utility out of items. As one might observe, the mix of different dinnerware styles has not become an eclectic aesthetic all on its own, and the look of glass bottles has achieved high praise in bohemian interior design. Using natural plant materials completes the eco-conscious look, with jute, cotton and linen offering the ideal solutions to the complaints of a tropical climate on interior design: heat, humidity and ventilation.
Materials like reclaimed wood or driftwood allow a creative mind to yield statement pieces that can influence the flow and atmosphere of a space. Modish, for example, is a brand that uses various pieces of driftwood to craft exquisite furniture, including coffee tables, dining tables and chairs. Avoid particle board and plywood, as both materials aren’t very durable, make use of toxic adhesives and formaldehyde treatments and are notoriously difficult to recycle.
Showcasing Sustainable Projects
Robert Downey Jr’s Binishell Home
Popularised by the actor Robert Downey Jr and his various features in architectural news, the Binishell was the innovation of an Italian designer and architect, Dante Bini. They are made of reinforced concrete thin-shell walls moulded through air pressure. The best part of the process is that the inflated synthetic bladder to create the building can be reused multiple times, lowering construction wastage and requiring minimal manpower. While the methods used in its construction run up the price tag on this type of structure, they are considered to be one of the fastest and most cost-effective ways to construct a new-age, dome-spaced space. Furthermore, they were initially introduced as a solution to putting up gymnasiums, libraries, schools and shopping centres, demonstrating the flexibility of their form. His son Nicolo Bini now seeks to relaunch the concept first introduced in the 1960s, and its primary appeal is its energy efficiency. Due to the concrete form and the oval shape of the structure, The Binishell is aerodynamic and non-flammable, retrofitted with features like soundproof glass, reflective glass filters and wooden room dividers to create the atmosphere of privacy that a home is to be afforded.
It also adapts better to the land on which it is constructed and is more resistant to extreme weather conditions. As journalist Alastair Gordon puts it, “Often, you see an experimental house, and it’s so exciting on the outside, but then you go inside, and it’s a bummer. In your case, the choices seem just right: eclectic, personal and somehow in tune with the cellular nature of the interior layout. I’m thinking of that carnivorous couch with grey-and-pink upholstery, bulbous, knuckle-shaped padding in the living room, and the mushrooming lamps made from stretched translucent fabric.” Furthermore, the Downey’s interior designer uses various materials such as cane, rope, leather and fibreglass to create the implication of visual art pieces within the home while maintaining the utility of these items.
The Aangan: An Effort at Sustainable Living
A 4,128 square-foot home in Guwahati, the Aangan was the brainchild of the design team Sustainable Architecture for Earth, represented by lead architect Krittika Agarwal. The project was a foray into the melding of indoors and outdoors to create a home that existed as a natural commune, using local materials and traditional crafts punctuated by verdant greenery in all areas of the house. The house boasts an impressive collection of ethically sourced artwork curated to display the best of Indian culture. One way the project lent itself to sustainability was that the family collected these artistic pieces from flea markets in India and abroad.
Early BKK: A New-Age Cafe in Bangkok
A two-storey cafe in Bangkok has become a vessel to showcase the best sustainable design, as it boasts a large-scale recycling effort of over 600 glass bottles, milk cartons, oil basins and plywood. They even go so far as to reinvent the paving materials they use by combining broken brown glass bottles into concrete to create a unique terrazzo design that lines the entire space’s flooring. Using various elements of bottles, they also are a meeting between form and function, as previously mentioned, by encouraging customers to bring their cups and containers and enforcing a strict no-plastic policy. The open-air seating on the second floor acts as internal ventilation and is often revamped for community events.
Conclusion
As citizens of the world, it is our environmental responsibility to make every effort to streamline our carbon footprint and prepare the path for future generations to inherit the Earth in all of its preserved beauty we can. Thus, sustainable design is imperative for all to mitigate natural harm in the simplest ways we can by saving energy, using low-impact materials and living a life that goes hand in hand with nature.
Image Reference: Freepik
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Content References: Brundtland quote, Modish Store, Purist Online, The New York Times