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Eco-friendly Interior decor - Tips and Tricks
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Slap the words 'environmentally friendly' onto a product and it's almost guaranteed to sell like hot cakes. This is also true with regards to home accessories, as people are always researching ways to incorporate eco-friendly trends to their home accessories and decor. Obviously, finding home decor that is beautiful and eco-friendly can be a challenge. Here are a few basic tricks and tips.
Reclaimed
Undoubtedly, the simplest way to be 'eco-friendly' is to skip the newly manufactured home accessories (even those made from recycled materials) and opt instead for reclaimed items. Including items you may find at thrift stores, antique stores, garage and yard sales, estate sales, secondhand stores and through various online retailers, such as eBay.
wall hooks and coat racks
If you are prepared to place the effort in, you can find a myriad of reclaimed items. Note that 'reclaimed' does not always mean the piece has been assembled using different reclaimed materials. Additionally, it may mean items that have been salvaged in their entirety. Including furniture pieces, lighting fixtures, square and oval mirrors of all sizes, paintings and far, a lot more.
Recycled
Unfortunately, reclaimed pieces could be surprisingly expensive. This is especially true of items, for example furniture, produced from reclaimed wood. However, you'll be able to find home accessories and decor in the stores that are produced from recycled products, which may be extremely eco-friendly.
Recycled glass tends to be less expensive and simple to come-by, so there's no reason to buy a newly manufactured glass vase over a recycled glass vase. Plus, like many items, glass can be manipulated into new colors, shapes and sizes. The vast majority of people will be unable to tell that your new pieces are made from recycled materials, if you may want to tell them!
wrought iron curtain rods
Reuse
Finally, don't be afraid to reuse existing items in your house. You can reupholster old furniture, or refinish old wood furniture to produce a fresh, change for less money and less injury to the environment. Reusing existing home decor can help to save not just money, but will put less waste and toxins into the environment.
When reupholstering furniture or simply creating new covers for the existing throw pillows, search for fabrics such as organic cotton, silk, bamboo-based fabrics and polyesters produced from recycled plastics. Be sure to always choose upholstery grade fabrics for reupholstering, because these will hold up the best over 'regular' fabrics.' There are more fabrics that are also environmentally friendly including hemp, soy-based fabrics, linen, cashmere, ingeo (which is produced from fermented plant sugars) and alpaca fabrics. (More)
