Green interior designers are increasingly in demand as more homeowners try to reduce their carbon footprint and create energy efficient home interior design. Sustainable interior design requires an awareness not only of environmentally friendly products, but also energy use, lighting and design durability.

Sustainable Interior Design Materials

Green interior designers have access to a wide range of sustainable products that are “to the trade only” (meaning that the product is only available to home improvement professionals and interior designers). Accessing these items greatly increases you ability to create an energy efficient space.

Sustainable interior design products include furniture and flooring made from renewable natural resources. Bamboo, for instance, is a highly sustainable flooring choice, as the bamboo plant grows much faster than traditional hardwoods. Cork is another harvestable and sustainable choice for flooring. Both cork and bamboo flooring come in a variety of colors and shades.

Sustainable interior design also uses furniture that makes use of reclaimed materials and easily renewable resources. Putting a human face on green interior design, you may want to choose “fair trade” furniture. These interior design accessories are made by companies that don’t exploit people during production and pay fair wages.

Green Interior Designers Avoid Toxicity

Many traditional furnishings and floor products contain formaldehyde and other toxic chemicals. The smoke produced by burning carpeting, for instance, is often full of chemicals and more of a threat than the fire itself.

Green interior designers can help you choose products that avoid the use of potentially dangerous chemicals. Not only does this keep your family safer, but products made without formaldehyde and other highly toxic compounds also have much less of an impact on the environment.

Energy Efficient Interior Design Projects

Energy efficient interior design is increasingly important. Not only does an energy efficient room prevent energy waste; it saves money too.

An energy efficient room uses heating and cooling systems that use the least amount of energy to maintain a comfortable environment. Windows or skylights are used to maximize natural light and reduce the need for artificial lighting. For example, closet “skylights” redirect natural light into closets, reducing energy waste.

The choice of lighting for an energy efficient room is also important. Compact fluorescent light bulbs last longer than incandescent bulbs, and use less energy. LED bulbs use even less energy than compact fluorescent bulbs, and can last for decades.

Home Interior Design for a Lifetime

Green interior designers understand that to be truly sustainable, interior design has to work with the needs and activities of the homeowner. No matter how sustainable a home interior design projects’ materials are, if the homeowner completely renovates within a few years, the project has a negative impact on the environment.

A truly green home interior design project has a timeless element. Once completed, the interior design should last for years. Sustainable interior design should create a space that homeowners can live with over a long period of time, that isn’t subject to changing interior design fads.