Sustainable Interiors

When it comes to designing your interior space, we have compiled some information in a few categories to showcase the different ways in which you can be environmentally friendly in your interior design choices.

Sustainable Materials and Finishes

When looking at more serious interior renovations, often there can be a huge environmental impact created by the materials used for any internal joinery designed to re-vamp the space. At Three Rooms Design, we work closely with our partners Three Rooms Bespoke Joinery when it comes to the design and manufacture of any of the more structural furniture, fixtures and fittings. Three Rooms Bespoke Joinery uses wood from responsibly sources, ensuring the sustainability of the material. It is more important than ever to source materials from sustainable sources, especially in recent times during the high levels of timber shortage across the UK due to the pandemic and Brexit.

If you’re looking for interior joinery for your next project, you can visit Three Rooms Bespoke Joinery here. Designed by experts, we have experience in crafting unique products, finished to a high standard, for both domestic and commercial interiors.

Eco friendly Paint Options

Gone are the days of the Victorian’s lead-based paint, however not all modern day paints are created equal, and we would recommend some brands over others in terms of their environmental qualities.

These companies provide a few eco-friendly, non-toxic paint options:

Farrow and Ball

Earthborn

Coat

Lick

Little Greene

Graphenstone

Recycled and Natural Fabrics

When choosing the fabrics for interior soft furnishings, there is an overwhelming amount of choice on the market, however most of the common and popular fabrics available are not necessarily the best for the environment.

As a general rule of thumb, natural fabrics are less damaging to the environment in terms of product waste at the end of its life, as they are more easily biodegradable than synthetic fabrics. Just because a fabric is natural, it does not mean the production process is sustainable or environmentally friendly. Some fabrics such as cotton have a huge carbon footprint and water usage when it comes to its production, which is worth considering. To ensure the natural fabrics chosen have a reduced impact on the environment, it is best to choose organic fabrics as they are produced without toxic chemicals and are generally much more sustainably produced. Many upholstery companies now offer options for more eco-conscious options such as recycled fabrics.

Natural Fabrics (vegan/non-vegan):

Leather, Wool, Cotton, Velvet, Silk, Linen, Jute, Vinyl

Natural Fabrics (sustainable, vegan):

Organic cotton, Recycled cotton, Organic hemp, Organic linen, Organic bamboo, Cork.

Synthetic/Part Synthetic:

Econyl (recycled nylon), Recycled polyester, Lyocell (Tencel), Modal.

At Three Rooms Design, we have an interior design material database that helps to guide our clients towards the most sustainable textile solution.

Eco Friendly Accessories

The two interior spaces that often houses products negatively impactful to the environment are the kitchen and bathroom, specifically when it comes to the plastic found in bathing and house-cleaning products.

Luckily, there are environmentally friendly alternatives widely available for every single essential needed in both the kitchen and bathroom environments, from plastic free cleaning shampoo to compostable cleaning sponges.

For eco household cleaning products click here.

For eco bathroom products click here.

Introducing plants

Not only has it been proven that exposure to nature and plants significantly improves our mental health, but bringing greenery into an interior space can be an integral part of the design and feel of a room. The vast variety of indoor plants available gives great scope for styling options but each plant also provides a benefit in terms of its environmental properties. There are many plants known as ‘air purifiers’, that when brought into an interior space, can literally clean the air. This is a great option for adding a natural element to a design whilst also improving the quality of the internal environment.

Here in Nottingham, home of Three Rooms Design, our favourite local plant shop The Watered Garden brings the city the best of the best beautiful indoor plants.

Up-cycling rather than buying new

When it comes to the sustainability of the interior furniture, often all it takes in order to completely transform a space is to change a few small details and tie them together with a common intentional theme. Rather than replacing perfectly usable furniture in the name of a style makeover, it is a more environmentally friendly alternative, and often the most cost-effective option, to up-cycled it. This can take the form of refurbishment and restoration to freshen up an existing style, or adding a lick of paint to change the style completely. Upholstered furniture can be re-upholstered in a new fabric or the original fabric can be dyed a different colour. There are many options to re-work a space that prevent wasting materials.