12 Green Interior Design Ideas (with Pictures)

Is it time to start working on the interior design of your home? Are you wanting to do your part to live green and eco-friendly? If so, you’re in luck. You can step up and help out the planet and make your home look great at the same time. By incorporating green interior design ideas, you and your home can reduce your carbon footprint and make an impact on the world around you. These green interior design ideas can help you get started. By the time you’re finished, you’ll feel better about yourself and love the way your house looks!

The Top 12 Green Interior Design Ideas For Your Home

1. Think Green As You Design

If you truly want to make your home sustainable, having thoughts of a green design from the early onset is a great way to start. Having insulated windows and solar panels installed are ways to help keep the needs around your home lowered. If you’re building a home, using these helpful additions and architecture that can reduce your need for additional heating, energy, and lighting in a room is a great first step toward going green.

2. Always Think Energy-Efficient

When you’re ready to decorate a home, being energy-efficient is a very eco-friendly way to live. Choosing curtains to help keep rooms insulated, and choosing light color schemes, will lower your dependence on heating and air conditioning throughout the year.

3. Choose Jute Whenever Possible

Jute is durable, versatile, and incredibly sustainable. This natural fiber can be used for several things around your home. The rustic look it provides is not only stylish but great for those who want to go green as they design. Jute can be used as throws on sofas, upholstery, and even as rope centerpieces to bring a room to life.

4. Rattan Furniture is Gaining in Popularity

Rattan furniture is quickly becoming an interior design go-to and it’s easy to see why. Not only is it a sustainable material that can be used for furnishings and window coverings, but it’s also versatile and goes well with any design flow you choose in a room.

5. Look for Local and Fair Trade Items

When trying to go green with your interior design, shopping locally is one of the best ways to not only help the environment but to support your local craftsmen. If you can go a step farther and choose fair trade items, even better. By shopping locally for furnishings and décor, you lower the amount of gas used to ship items. You’ll also have the opportunity to add unique items to your home with a sense of flair you may not find anywhere else.

6. Recycled Wood Adds a Bit of Flair

If you’re a fan of the rustic look, recycled wood can easily make your home stand out. Instead of choosing to cut down fresh wood, using barn wood or repurposed wood can make chairs, dressers, and even the table in your kitchen a work of art while being better for the planet.

7. Decorate with Antiques

Whether it’s hand-me-downs or treasures you’ve found at a local thrift store, antiques are another way of going green with your interior design. Using these pieces throughout your home is similar to recycling. You won’t be purchasing new decorations and furnishings that could be using up resources. Instead, you’re using things that are vintage, stylish, and shown to withstand the test of time.

8. Add a Little Bamboo

If you’re looking for something extra for a room in your home, bamboo could be the answer. Not only are materials made from bamboo stylish and strong, but the bamboo itself is also a sustainable material. Bamboo is one of the fastest-growing plants and is considered a renewable resource for those going green.

9. Sustainable Flooring

If you’re interested in sustainable flooring options, terracotta may be the answer you’ve been looking for. Terracotta is made from natural materials such as clay. It is quite pleasing to the eye and gives a room a warm, inviting feel. You’ll also notice that it’s a great option for helping keep your home cooler.

10. Cork Is in Style

It may not have crossed your mind, but if you’re wanting to add a little warmth to a room, consider cork wallpaper. A perfect eco-friendly material, cork makes your home feel more natural and it even has antibacterial properties to make your home less susceptible to molds and fungus.

11. Decorate with Plants

Not only do plants provide a home with a fresh, natural feel, but they can also bring a touch of class to any room. These eco-friendly beauties can be used as accents or centerpieces. Often, using houseplants helps avoid adding too many materials that your room simply doesn’t need.

12. Sustainable Lighting

Anyone who is into interior design knows the importance of the right lighting. Whether you want to brighten every room in your house or if you prefer softer, more inviting lighting schemes, LED lights are the future. These light bulbs use far less energy than others on the market. They even burn up to 25% longer which means less changing and less waste.

Conclusion

Green interior design is the perfect way of reducing your carbon footprint and doing your part to help the planet. Whether you incorporate each of our 12 ideas into your home, or simply choose to work on a few, you’ll feel better about what you’re doing to the environment and keep your home looking cool and stylish. As time goes on, you can find other ways to do your part. In the end, it’s up to all of us to ensure we help our planet so it can be healthy for future generations.

Featured Image Credit: prudence-earl, Unsplash