Green Interior Design --- It's Nothing New

As one of relatively few interior designers who is also a LEED Accredited Professional, I regularly receive calls and emails from vendors claiming that their furniture is "green." Unfortunately, these claims are often only partially true, especially when it comes to home furnishings. For instance, a chest of drawers that is made of bamboo can contain added urea formaldehyde and glues and finishes that are relatively high in VOCs. While I am able to evaluate these claims, most people buying furniture (and, for that matter, most interior decorators) are not.

One of the best ways to "go green" with interior design is often overlooked. Design that stands the test of time eliminates the need to replace things, and even if the original owner's circumstances or desires change, classic furniture can always find another good home.

Antiques are particularly "green." since everything in them is being reused and they are very unlikely to off-gas harmful chemicals (glues, finishes, etc. only give off VOCs for a certain period of time, and even when antiques are refinished, the materials used are normally less toxic than the finishes in much new furniture). In the room above the bed and washstand are almost 200 years old, an old candlestick has been made into a lamp, and an antique silver creamer serves as a vase.

Although "organic" and "green" are not necessarily synonymous, natural materials often do have fewer harmful additives than artificial ones. The Wilton carpet in the room above is 100% wool, and while it might not be appropriate for someone with chemical sensitivities (since the fiber is dyed and probably moth-proofed), it is healthier for indoor air quality than synthetic carpet. The hand-embroidered sheets and pillow cases are made from very fine cotton, and with proper care could last for generations.

Furnishing our homes as prior generations did, with lovely things that can last more than one lifetime, can actually be more sustainable behavior than buying anything that claims to be "the latest and greatest in green design."