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Eco Friendly Home Decor

Style and Sustainability
5 Eco-Friendly Home Decor Ideas

 

When you're concerned about the environment, one of the best decisions you can make to lessen your impact is to choose sustainable and eco-friendly home decor options. And, right now, they're easier than ever to find and implement, from the type of flooring you choose to the paint you use on your walls.

 

We've put together a list of five places where you can start when you want to keep items out of landfills, purify your air, support your community, prevent pollution and help preserve our planet. Each one applies to both old homes and new construction, whether you're just moving in or redecorating a space you've lived in for years.

 
breakfast table with various items of food
 

1. Choose Real Wood Floors Over Carpeting

 

One of the biggest decisions you can make when it comes to sustainability and decorating your home is the type of flooring you choose. When possible, go with wood floors instead of carpet. The main reason is that carpet is a major problem for our overly-crowded landfills. As a matter of fact, it makes up about 3.5% of the materials placed in landfills each year — that's over four billion pounds of carpet. Not only that, but carpet is toxic to manufacture, and, during its lifespan, it releases toxins and pollutants into your home.

Not only is wood flooring the better choice, but you should look for sustainable wood sources that are sourced legally from forests that are regrown once the trees are cut down, as well as those sourced from forests where air, water quality and biodiversity are all protected.

Bamboo is a popular choice because it's harder than woods like maple and oak, and it's water-resistant. It's also naturally antibacterial. Even better, it re-grows quickly once it's cut. Cork is another sustainable choice because it's harvested without damaging or destroying the cork tree. Homeowners like it because it's dense, absorbs sound and doesn't fade easily.

Another option when choosing flooring is to look for reclaimed or salvaged wood. In many cases, they may be more expensive, but you're essentially using recycled flooring and reducing waste.

2. Just Add Plants

If you want to add new colors and textures to your home without going over budget or buying manufactured items that will eventually end up in landfills, head to your local nursery and pick up some houseplants. Your options are endless, and no matter what you choose, you'll add character to any room. Plant some herbs in pots on your kitchen windowsill, or add a potted palm tree to your foyer. Add easy-to-care-for succulents to the bookshelf in your bedroom, or let a trailing plant cascade down the side of the entertainment center in your living room.

Another benefit of decorating with plants is that many of them filter toxins and purify your air. In 2020, we've learned that clean air inside our homes is more important than ever. Plants that help improve your air quality include peace lilies, devil's ivy, philodendrons, spider plants, chrysanthemums, rubber plants, Boston ferns, Areca palms and pineapple plants.

3. Don't Decorate Your Walls With VOCs

Just like your flooring, you can make a huge difference to the environment when you paint your walls. Look for products that are low VOC or no VOC. Found in many building materials, VOCs are volatile organic compounds that can damage your organs or your central nervous system, as well as cause headaches or problems with your digestive system. Several major brands offer low and no VOC paint options now, and they're higher-quality than they were years ago. They don't exude the strong odors that other types of paint give off, and, in some cases, they even dry quicker.

There are other great options for decorating your walls. Milk paint and mineral-based paint products are becoming more and more popular. They're non-toxic and eco-friendly. If you prefer wallpaper, look for patterns made from recycled materials and water-based ink.

Choose Secondhand Furniture

Carpet isn't the only thing that crowds landfills. Over the last decade, around 9 million tons of furniture and furnishings have ended up there each year. It can take thousands of years for many of those items to break down. When you opt to choose secondhand furniture instead of brand new, you help expand its lifespan.

More specifically, when you choose CORT Furniture Outlet, you can help keep 106,196 tons of waste out of landfills each year. Each of our high-quality pieces goes through the CORT Furniture Rental process multiple times before we finally sell it to a permanent home. In between, we clean and repair it when needed so that it's as good as new. Not only does this reduce waste, but it reduces energy usage and reduces carbon dioxide emissions.

Make the more sustainable choice

Choose CORT Furniture Outlet by shopping online or visiting us in-store. After you buy furniture online, you can have it delivered or go pick it up in-store the same day! No need to wait weeks for furniture to arrive, like most big box stores. CORT Furniture Outlet inventory changes daily, and once a piece is gone, it may be gone forever! Stop by your local CORT Furniture Outlet or peruse online to see what’s in store!

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