Sustainable Design, Sustainable Living, Sustainable Everything
When it comes to creating an eco-friendly bathroom, we all know we need to reduce our water usage. But there’s no reason to stop there! Companies who make traditional bathroom materials and products don’t always take their environmental impact into
You know those “Get This Look” blog posts and pins you see where someone breaks down an interior space or an outfit and shows you how to replicate it? Well, welcome to my “Green This Look” series. Where I do the
If the kitchen truly is – as the saying goes – the heart of the home, then it’s extra important that it be eco-friendly! Kitchens are one of the most overwhelming areas of a house to design or renovate, because
Home trends may come and go, but there’s one trend that better not be going anywhere and that’s eco-friendly decor! I truly believe that this is where the design and decor world is headed anyway. Essentially, it has to. Our planet’s population is growing and our resources are depleting. And I strongly believe that NOW, not tomorrow, not next year, is the time to make a change.
Of course, change can be overwhelming. Which is why the best way to do it is in small, easy to manage bits. If you haven’t done so yet, greening your home decor is such a simple (and fun!) way to make a change.
Now more than ever it’s easy to buy eco-friendly home decor to fill your interior spaces. From buying secondhand, to searching out sustainably sourced products, to shopping on websites entirely dedicated to earth friendly finds. There’s no reason not to buy green!
Some people DIY because they love the process. Some people DIY to save money. Some people DIY because it’s eco-friendly. And some people, like me, DIY because of a three reasons! Here are ten simple eco-friendly DIY projects I’ve tackled over the last five years. I hope they inspire you to do all kinds of cool things yourself. To create, to save money and to save the planet.
How did someone who once declared they would NEVER install laminate flooring find themselves in a flooring store, barefoot and walking on half a dozen laminate samples? Because laminate flooring has evolved a lot in the last few years. And truthfully, so have I.
I’ll admit, my initial change of heart had to do with the cost factor. Of course I’d love to buy a sustainably sourced hardwood for Our House in Trees. But, simply put, we can’t afford it. So I began to research green laminate flooring, myself wondering: “Is laminate flooring eco-friendly?” The answer? It can be!
Design boards just seem to scratch several of my itches all at once. My love for beautiful spaces, furniture, patterns and colours. My love for seeking out inspiration. My love for creating order in a world full of chaos.
Aside from helping to suppress said chaos with pictures of (eco-friendly!) console tables and fabric swatches, design boards also come in super handy when planning out the design and decor of a room. I mostly use photo editing software to create them, but not everyone has access to such a program nor the know-how and time to work with one. Enter Pinterest – everyone’s favourite online inspo gathering tool.
Ah, yearend. A time to stop and reflect on the past 12 months… and reread (or read for the first time) the five most viewed Of Houses and Trees posts of 2017! The last year has been the biggest yet for growing this sustainability blog and I have so very many ideas for 2018… and beyond! I just want to say how much I appreciate every single view, comment, share and subscribe I receive. Truly.
From eco-friendly products and building materials, to healthy vegan eats – 2017 was a green year indeed!
Aside from Of Houses and Trees, I also write content for a few other architecturally-minded blogs. One subject I’ve written quite a bit about lately is the building material magnesium oxide board (MgO board). If you’ve never heard of it, it’s essentially an eco-friendly drywall alternative. And, of course, as soon as I see the phrase “eco-friendly alternative” I get all giddy and start geeking out. It looks like we’re going to build our Real Life Home next spring. (Fingers crossed!) And I absolutely want to use as many green materials as possible. Not only are environmentally friendly materials good for the planet, but they’re also good for you and your family as they tend to release little to no VOCs (volatile organic compounds) into your home nor other narsty chemicals. (Did you know synthetic drywall contains formaldehyde? Yuck.)
