9 Tips To Do Up Your Home In An Eco Friendly Way

Caring for the environment begins with the way you set up your home. Anindita Ghosh discovers a few practices for an eco-friendly residence

- Anindita Ghosh

If you haven’t realised it yet, you could be contributing towards environmental pollution through your home décor. From the materials for your furnishings and window treatments, to the lighting solutions that you opt for, and even the flooring and furniture you choose— everything has an ecological impact. There are, however, several ways in which you can reduce this impact by putting in a little more thought into how you go about doing up your home.

Knowing about sustainable interior design is the first step towards doing your bit for the planet. Here’s how you can make a difference.

Reuse and repurpose

When doing up your house, the temptation is to buy new and throw away the old. Keep in mind, the more you buy, the more waste you generate. So, when you replace that beloved sofa on which you spent many a cosy night, or the rocking chair sitting in which you nursed your first born, remember that it’s going to an already overflowing landfill, where it’s going to sit for a few hundred years before it eventually biodegrades. The better idea is to repurpose the existing stuff. All it takes is some creativity and imagination.

Mia Lundstrom, creative director, Life at Home, IKEA India, says, “The key is to reuse what you already have, but to put it in a different context. It could be anything from lighting to framing pictures or posters. Reuse things around the house and make simple decorations out of them. You don’t need to have opulence and ornamentation everywhere. Before you throw away, ask yourself if you can give it a second life. Circularity is not just about recycling—it’s also about expanding the life of a product.” She adds, Rope in your kids for a brainstorming session and you’ll be surprised at how many ideas you end up with to upcycle and recycle.”