#Collaborative post
In a world of fast fashion, single-use plastics, rising oil demand, and record global emissions, sustainability in interior design are more important than ever. Your bedroom is as good a place as any to make positive changes.
Designing your bedroom to be eco-conscious is a fun project, and while it won’t stop climate change on its own, small changes add up to make a big difference.
Best of all, designing a bedroom in an eco-conscious way doesn’t require compromising on anything. Here are our bedroom design tips for the eco-conscious:
Get a mattress with natural fillings made in the UK
If you need a new mattress, the best way to keep your carbon footprint down is to get a mattress with natural fillings made in the UK.
Natural fillings have a lower carbon footprint than synthetic materials because they are produced in the country of origin. Choosing a mattress made in the UK means that the mattress hasn’t necessarily sailed worldwide.
Natural mattresses can have the following fillings:
- Bamboo
- Cotton
- Wool
- Mohair
- Latex
Organic materials are preferred to ensure no chemicals were used to manufacture them, although the mattress will still have a chemical footprint.
Pictured: Mlily Bamboo Air-Flow Bamboo Charcoal Memory Foam Mattress
Fix and spruce up old furniture
If you have wooden bedroom furniture that is perfectly usable, you can paint it another colour to change the style. A low VOC paint designed for kitchen cupboards works a treat, or you can use any interior wood paint with a satin finish.
Drawers, wardrobes, and dressers that wobble or don’t operate smoothly can often be fixed by tightening a screw, straightening a drawer rail, or gluing joints together. Look for ways to restore old furniture rather than throw it away.
Lower your carbon footprint with pre-loved furniture
Head to second-hand furniture shops, charity shops, eBay, and Gumtree for pre-loved furniture if you need some new furniture.
The carbon emissions from manufacturing pre-loved furniture are years or decades old, and every old piece of furniture you use means one less new piece of furniture made. Plus, many vintage pieces have unbeatable charm.
Use low VOC paints or natural paints
Pictured: Farrow and Ball, Colour by Nature Farrow & Ball’s latest collection of work collaborating with the Natural History Museum. Colour by nature is a collection that will please both the curious and the modernist. It combines a range of colours that can work with both period and modern interior design schemes.
Low VOC paints contain fewer “Volatile Organic Compounds” (VOC) or VOC Solvents than traditional coatings, making them better for the environment. Most interior paints sold today are low VOC, so finding the right paint is easy.
Another option is natural paints made from plant extracts, recycled materials, and natural dyes. These are more expensive, but they have an even lower carbon footprint. Look for paints with an EU Ecolabel for Indoor Paints.
Incorporate recycled materials
Whether bedding, clothes rails, books, cosmetics, or home décor, you can pick up recycled versions of anything.
Recycled products have a lower carbon footprint because they reduce the energy used to make new products. Refining and processing new raw materials always produce more pollution than recycling old materials.
Pictured: Create Your Own Industrial pipe shelving. Use metal pipes and fittings combined with wood to create shelving units.
Heat your bedroom efficiently on the cheap
There are several ways you can heat a bedroom without booting up the central heating system, saving you money and lowering your carbon footprint.
A plug-in electric radiator and a 3-pin socket are all you need. Most bedrooms are heated perfectly fine by a 3kW radiator, which costs around 50p per hour. Get one that lets you set a timer so your bedroom is always warm.
Another way to heat your bedroom is with candles – lighting twelve candles will heat your bedroom by a few degrees centigrade within an hour. The heating output of one candle is 80W to get good warmth from them.
A more novel way to heat a bedroom is with a hairdryer – flick it on for a few minutes, and your bedroom will see a +0.5 to 1.5 Celsius increase.
Overall, being eco-conscious with bedroom design doesn’t require wholesale changes, just a more considerate approach to the materials you use and how you heat your bedroom.