December 1, 2022, 4:22 pm | Read time: 4 minutes
Origin, transport routes, CO₂ emissions, recycling–if you want to live environmentally friendly today, there are several aspects to consider when making purchases. Especially with your own furnishings, which constantly surround us, a certain level of consumer awareness is advisable. To furnish the living room sustainably, five tips are particularly helpful.
Conscious consumption is a big topic, especially when furnishing your own home. The living room, in particular, is often redesigned more frequently than other rooms. To avoid putting too much strain on the environment and your own health, it’s important to gather enough information beforehand, invest moderately, opt for natural materials, and always save both energy and resources. Here, you’ll learn how to furnish a living room as sustainably as possible.
1. Upcycle or buy used furniture
Even though social media, magazines, and furniture stores regularly present the most beautiful collections and provide plenty of inspiration for new purchases, it is now more contemporary to buy used furniture or upcycle old pieces. Enhancing and reusing old items aligns with the fundamental idea of a sustainably furnished living room.
If a piece of furniture has a flaw, it can often be repaired either by yourself or by a professional. Otherwise, dents, scratches, and the like are like scars on the skin–they tell stories. Not everything in a home needs to be perfect. And if you need new furnishings, you don’t necessarily have to opt for new furniture. After all, new doesn’t always mean new.
How about new used furniture instead? The Sunday trip to the flea market has somewhat become a new national pastime. Perhaps you’ll find a suitable piece in grandma’s attic, at the nearby antique shop, or secondhand online.
2. And if it has to be new furniture?
Of course, a completely new setup is also conceivable, but each piece of furniture should be chosen very consciously. Ideally, the purchase process focuses not only on design and price but also on aspects such as material choice, manufacturing, and transport routes.
It is highly likely that you will enjoy the chosen piece of furniture for a long time. Therefore, it is advisable to opt for a timeless look and not be overly influenced by current trends. Furniture made from high-quality, robust solid wood is usually synonymous with durability, making it a suitable choice. However, when purchasing, look for certifications like the FSC label, Blue Angel, or GS mark. If a piece of furniture has one of these labels, it speaks to its quality.
Also interesting: 7 online shops for sustainable furniture and accessories
3. Furnish the living room with sustainable accessories
When it comes to accessories, sustainability can also be prioritized. It’s most sensible to focus on quality over quantity, as minimalism is still the best way to furnish a sustainable living room. So, choose a small selection of accessories, ideally consisting of used treasures from the flea market, beloved heirlooms, and a few finds from nature.
All new additions should ideally also be made from natural materials and have the appropriate labels. All textiles in a sustainably furnished living room are made from renewable raw materials. How about this? Curtains made of linen, sofa cushions made of organic cotton, a cozy blanket made of wool, and a sisal rug on the floor–all bringing a lot of natural coziness.
Interior Designer Reveals 2023 Home Trends
5 Interior Tips for a Living Room in Industrial Style
4. No sustainable living room without houseplants
Clearly, plants belong in a living room if you want to furnish it sustainably. Not only do they add more greenery and naturalness to the ambiance, but they also bring many positive attributes. Plants are said to improve the indoor climate by filtering pollutants from the air, contributing to healthier living. Ideal choices include snake plants, dieffenbachia, pothos, peace lilies, and spider plants. Also optimal are plants that require little water, such as succulents or cacti.
5. Use eco-friendly lighting
If you really want to do something for the environment, opt for LED bulbs. They have an exceptionally low energy consumption, which is not only financially rewarding but also better for the environment. Especially in winter, candles are often lit, bringing warmth to a room while also being easy on the wallet.
However, the type of candle matters here as well. For a sustainably furnished living room, it’s better to choose candles made from beeswax or based on soy, rapeseed, and sunflower oil in glass holders, rather than conventional candles, which are usually made from paraffin or palm oil and packaged as tealights in aluminum holders.