Your bedroom is the ideal place to relax, sleep, recharge and isolate yourself from the outside world. When choosing durable furniture, decorations and style for the room, there are numerous options for the walls, floors and surrounding areas. Setting up an eco-friendly bedroom focuses on building positive energy and health while preserving the earth. Here are some products that can help you create a luxurious, sustainable and eco-friendly living room.
Furniture
There are many non-sustainable companies making furniture, but the world of sustainability is growing and adding great companies and options for sustainable furniture.
Some companies handcraft their furniture and give it custom touches. For example, they use recycled wood to ensure that the earth's materials are used in as many ways as possible. Companies even give back by reinvesting profits in reforestation and educating farmers on more sustainable growing practices. Read more about Second Nature's vision on sustainability and responsible products.
Plants
Plants are an excellent, simple way to add sustainable, natural elements and filter the air in the bedroom. Plants can be versatile in a bedroom, such as hanging from a wall or ceiling, standing on the floor or on furniture. The size and shape of the plant make it ideal for adding uniqueness to the room.
Some plants do more than just look beautiful. Having a Gardenia plant in your room is excellent for aiding relaxation, reducing anxiety and promoting sleep.
Although Aloe Vera is a top purifying plant that delivers oxygen 24/7, it is also easy to maintain. The leaves of the plant are topical medical devices that can reduce the use of other products.
There are many choices of plants for the bedroom. Take your pets into account when purchasing plants. Some can be poisonous if ingested, so make sure to keep your pets safe if they decide to take a bite.
Bedding
The bed not only provides a comfortable place to rest and sleep, but it also makes a statement in the style of the room décor. The bed is the most important piece of furniture in the room.
Nowadays there are many sustainable bed sheets, bedspreads, pillowcases and decorative pillows that not only stimulate the eyes, but also contribute to healthier skin. Bedding made from high-quality, moisture-regulating materials often helps with itchy skin and eczema.
Biodegradable sheets are an excellent sustainable option. These sheets are made of tencel and are biodegradable and compostable.
Floors
The popularity of sustainable floors is growing rapidly. Nowadays you have an enormous diversity of options.
Concrete, for example, makes a statement as a sustainable product. Concrete starts as a raw material, cement, made primarily from limestone. Concrete is durable and has a very long life expectancy, so you don't have to replace it anytime soon. It is also excellent at absorbing and retaining heat, which can reduce your heating costs. Companies that polish and custom concrete floors can use recycled products for the designs and water-based hardeners and VOC-free materials to seal the floor.
Carpets and rugs are increasingly using environmentally friendly materials. Covering the bedroom floor with a carpet or rug will give you a softer feel underfoot and add texture and design to the room. Non-volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and non-toxic adhesives are starting to become part of homes' carpets and rugs. Some manufacturers offer collection at the end of the carpet's life to assist with recycling.
Walls
Sustainable art possibilities are endless. In many art forms, artists use materials and methods that save, preserve and love the earth and resources.
Recycled products such as plastic, aluminum and metals are making big leaps in the art world these days. Decorate the corners of the bedroom with recycled freestanding art or recycled wooden shelves.
Decorate the bedroom walls with sustainable wall art such as paintings on recycled fabrics and FSC wooden frames. Wood carvings and porcelain ceramic tile artworks come directly from raw materials of the earth.
Art is a great area to bring sustainability into your home by shopping locally for bedroom decor. It brings design to the room while achieving growth in local, private businesses that focus and reinvest in environmentally friendly practices.
Relief
The lighting in the bedroom should directly match the needs and tone of the body. It is always best to rely on natural sunlight through the windows rather than powered lighting. However, if window space is limited or nighttime lighting is needed, there are several sustainable lighting options and designs. LED, halogen and CFL bulbs are three eco-friendly options. These lights can offer different shades, brightness and wattages to achieve the desired atmosphere.
LED lamps are the most environmentally friendly option. LEDs use less energy and have a long lifespan, meaning fewer replacement lamps are needed over their lifetime.
CFL bulbs are great for saving energy. However, they contain mercury. The mercury itself is not harmful if it is disposed of properly, but is harmful if it is not. These lamps raise awareness for the safe recycling of mercury lamps and other products.
Although halogen lamps are the least environmentally friendly, they use halogen gas instead of mercury. They are more efficient than traditional light bulbs and have an infrared coating that helps reduce heat output
Conclusion
Furnishing a bedroom in a sustainable way has never been easier. The furniture, art, flooring and lighting of a bedroom say everything about who a person is and what is most important to them. Plants and bedding offer luxurious aspects of eco-friendly interior design. With companies using recycled, animal-friendly, biodegradable materials and more, it's possible to have a bedroom that's both comfortable and environmentally conscious.
