Welcome to the Green Design Frontier
Sustainable design, also referred as “green design”, “eco-design”, is the balance of an art and science focused on designing objects that act in accordance with the values of ecological sustainability, social needs and economical demands. It could be in terms of household furniture, or on a larger scale in designing buildings, roads, bridges and cities.
On a microcosmic scale when designing eco-friendly home there are several things that you can fit into your design agenda that will make your home eco-friendly. One of the more practical ways you can do to, “save the world” is making sure that the furniture that you buy is completely eco-friendly, for example, there is a huge eco-design trend that recycles pieces of demolished building, turning them into beautiful furniture. One piece of furniture that has caught some serious attention is a hardwood coffee table that was made from the hardwood of a bowling alley. Another popular item is any furniture made from bamboo, which is a renewable plant, technically it’s just grass. Bamboo can grown in any almost environment, in any climate and grows at a very rapid rate. Furniture from bamboo can be made churned out, with minimal effect on the eco-systems that they are grown in, but for the most part bamboo is grown in sustainable forestry managed by professionals that are very cognizant of the balance of the needs of the environment and the commercial demands of their product.
Ipe is another wood, from Brazil, that is grown in sustainable forestry and the main product that deck tiles are made from. Wood floor tiles made from a wood called Ipe from South America is some of the most beautiful wood there is in the world. It’s also some of the hardest wood in the world, and compared to some of the more traditional decking options such as pine, or redwood, ipe rates at 2x and 3x harder respectively.
Both of these products, bamboo furniture and ipe deck tiles, should be on the shortlist for an eco-friendly home renovations, some other products that should be considered are solar panels and porous pavement. These products are on the beginning of a huge trend in the design and home improvement industry, and as a consumer you should look into moving forward to a eco friendly future.