Monday, February 13th, 2017
A lot of people wonder how they can come up with the most stylish yet still eco-friendly home. Most just end up wondering while a few get to unleash their ingenuity and come up with means to be chic while being green.
Going green is not just a fad anymore. This is actually a necessity in our world these days. People need to treat resources and Mother Nature with care and respect.
Going green is not that hard either. You can begin with your family and eventually create a lifestyle out of it. Here are a few environment-saving yet still stylish tips that you can follow –
Conserve Energy
This is the initial step to going green. Energy conservation doesn’t have to be grand. It can be as simple as switching off the lights and appliances when they are no longer being used. Doing so will save you a lot of money over the years.
It also pays to encourage every member of your family to take part in this new endeavor. Ask them to spend time in just one room if they have to bond or are just merely resting. You can also invest in home automation and smart lighting systems so that you are ensured that your electrical appliances will be turned off when no longer in use.
These small contributions will contribute to the decrease of carbon footprint in our environment.
Say Yes to LED and CFL
CFL or compact fluorescent lamps are your best eco-friendly alternative to natural light. Incandescent lights are still in use now but they might become obsolete in the near future as more and more people are becoming concerned with the environment.
Switch to CFL or LED lighting and choose from a wide array of sizes, shapes and tones. Both choices can also add to the aesthetic value of your home.
Have Skylights Installed
If one or more rooms lack natural light, then consider having a skylight installed. This will help stream the light throughout the room and even reduce the use of artificial lighting. As the sun goes down, you will even have an amazing view of the starry sky.
Insist on having a skylight when you are planning to renovate your place.
Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
You’re not going green if you don’t learn to reduce waste that’s generated by your family. Begin in the kitchen and create a compost pit right in your backyard. This can even be a pot in the balcony where organic waste can be recycled into manure. You can then use it to fertilize plants and shrubs.
These same potted plants can be used to decorate the interiors of your home.
Install Solar Panels
This is a really expensive move but the great news is that they can eventually help you save on energy and energy costs. With regular usage, you should be able to surpass your investment in terms of savings.
Reinvent the Interiors
A huge change that you can also make is to bring a bust of color into your home. Use warm colors such as yellows and red to stimulate activity while cool colors like greens and blues can be used in spaces that need serenity (yes, that’s the bedroom and the bathroom).
A lot of paint cans contain VOCs or volatile organic compounds which could cause a plethora of health problems. Fortunately, there are various brands that are non-toxic and natural. Some are even made from clay or milk protein (casein). Use only the safe kind of paint for your home.
Rethink Your Flooring
A lot of designers are now recommending wall-to-wall-carpets to be ripped out. While these make the home look more inviting, they are also the home for toxins and allergens. If you really love the look of carpets, make sure that you spray on a carpet sealer and to vacuum weekly.
Bring in the Green
Lastly, how can you be green without potted plants and flowers in vases? ‘Nough said.
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Thursday, February 18th, 2016
Also known as eco living, green living is tantamount to saying that you are living in a sustainable home. This is, after all, the standard that the world looks up to. It is because of this that manufacturers find ways to tell the world about their green credentials. Even appliances now come with energy-saving functions. Some materials that are used in food and other packaging are now recyclable or are actually recycled materials. This new generation of sustainable furniture as well as lighting designs aim to satiate people who have become aware of their roles in keeping Mother Earth intact.
Green Living in Your Home
Healthy interiors can make the tenants feel more comfortable and satisfied. In workplaces, it can even foster employee retention.
Occupant interaction with the surroundings can also impact individual emotional and mental wellness. For offices, it can even improve building operations. Since this is so, it should now be your goal to create sustainable interiors right in your own home.
You should now pledge to make productive use of your space and to use only eco-friendly lights and furniture. Also, the ambiance in your home should have green written all over it.
Green Living: Lighting
There are many benefits that come with eco living and when you decide to apply it even in interior design. You can now effectively combine energy saving technology with utility. Many appliances now have energy storage with some even installed with photovoltaic cells.
With eco-friendly lighting come not just energy savings but also the perfect look for ambient spaces. Energy saving bulbs use up less energy when compared to traditional light bulbs. What a wonderful sight it is to behold a dynamically created lighting fixture in your home! It spells poetry in the form of light while serving as a reliable light source for your lovely ambience.
Green Living Is In
Just like other design industries, the world of interior design is forever tied to volatile styles. In essence, it is like assessing clothes whether they are hot or they’re not.
Whether the client’s goal is to renovate, decorate or to create architectural detailing, interior designers must always be up on their toes with regard to what’s hot in their field. The trend at the moment – and probably the fastest growing segment of the interior design industry nowadays – is sustainability.
Bamboo and other sustainable materials are hot. And with the ASID (American Society of Interior Designers attesting that sustainability should be one of the areas of focus for interior designers today, everyone is simply geared towards the use of sustainable materials and wasting not. Even the curricula in different design schools already include sustainability as one of their crucial courses.
Green Living for the Homeowner
Whether you wish to become an interior designer someday or are just taking on an interior design project on your own, then you have to remember these guidelines –
Green living doesn’t have to be time consuming. It is a matter of making that conscious decision to change your lifestyle and the way you run things in your home. Yet this does not mean that your living space should look boring, though. You can still beautify your home by using your artistic eye in choosing sustainable furnishings.
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