More and more people are environmentally conscious nowadays. It seems that we have finally realized that Mother Nature is our friend, and we have to take care of her every day and be ever grateful to her for her generosity. Environmental awareness spans all aspects of everyday life: food, clothing, and even furniture. And if installing solar on your roof may not always be possible, there are small things that we can do to make our homes more environmentally friendly.

Interior design offers endless possibilities of eco furnishing and lifestyle. More and more furniture manufacturers have implemented environmentally friendly practices - from the design and production stages to delivery and recycling. We live in the era of eco interior design and it is here to stay. Sustainable practices have become an established standard, and many innovations are implemented every day. Here are some free tips.

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Furniture shopping has changed a lot in recent decades. If furniture was following its owners from place to place in the past, people nowadays seem to be less sentimental about their old couch or cupboards. There are many reasonable explanations for this tendency, including financial. It does not surprise that people who move often prefer to rent fully-furnished homes, and so do young people who cannot afford expensive furniture. But this is only one of the reasons.

Fast fashion and its strategies have also penetrated interior design. Many designs and color solutions are one-season wonders, while design magazines, catalogs, and online ads constantly bombard us with the latest home style innovations. Companies are taking advantage of our desire to have new things. Living room sets are no longer bought on occasion; actually, your new sofa is just a few mouse clicks away! If you cannot afford it up front, you can buy it in comfortable monthly installments.

Furniture companies come up with a new collection every year, promptly scrapping all outdated designs. This is what consumers want. However, environmentally-conscious designers see these consumerist tendencies as very harmful and advise that we buy new furniture only when we need to. When shopping for furniture, we should make reasonable choices and seek the right balance between quality, design, and price. We must keep in mind that buying new furniture is a long-term investment with a significant environmental footprint.

Shopping from local small furniture makers or independent artisans and buying secondhand furniture are examples of eco interior design. Old furniture can be repaired, renovated, or recycled, thereby extending its life span. Vintage furniture is trendy nowadays, but shopping from the biggest brands can be pretty expensive.  Instead, you can browse auction sites or check out the secondhand furniture outlets in your area. Keep your eyes open for underlying defects or fatigue of material, or else you may find yourself back to square one.

Also, when shopping for eco-friendly furniture, ensure that its packaging and delivery are just as forgiving to the environment. Sometimes we choose items made in the USA of wood from Asia and leather from Europe and shipped worldwide. Shopping from local stores reduces the environmental footprint of your purchases.

For a genuine eco furniture design, one must carefully choose the production materials: wood should be sourced from sustainable forests or recycled. Bamboo is an excellent sustainable material because it grows quickly, regenerates easily, and does not require much energy and water to grow. It is easy to work with, and the production process generates little waste. Bamboo is very durable and has many applications, including furniture making.

Rattan is an eco-material similar to bamboo, ideal for garden furniture. Both materials are biodegradable. Stone is a solid and very durable material, easy to maintain and recycle. But it does not regenerate, and, believe it or not, mankind could run out of stone one day! Recycled plastic, metal, and other materials are a great way to incorporate the eco-lifestyle into interior design. They can be used to make almost everything from tables to carpets and accessories. When choosing textiles for your homes, such as towels, bed linen, blankets, curtains, and rugs, you should bet on organic cotton, linen, wool, bamboo, hemp, jute. Watch for an organic production certificate their labels.

When you have to part with your furniture but can't do it in an eco-friendly way, give them to friends, give them away, try to sell them online, or donate them to charities or people in need. In this way you can extend their life span by several years!