Conscious Living

AFTER EXPLORING HOW TRAVEL INFLUENCES MY INTERIOR AND HOME STAGING APPROACH IN OUR LAST EHG LIFE BLOG POST, I REALISED THAT THE MAJORITY OF THOSE INFLUENCES RELATED TO NATURE, AND HOW NATURE INFLUENCES HOW WE PERCEIVE OUR ‘HAPPY PLACE’. 

WE WENT TO THE HOUSE AND GARDENS FESTIVAL TALK - ‘SUSTAINABILITY AND THE HEALTHY HOUSE’ - TO HEAR MORE ABOUT OTHER PEOPLES’ THOUGHTS ON HOW TO BE SUSTAINABLE IN THE INTERIOR INDUSTRY. MANY PEOPLE QUESTION WHAT ACTUALLY IS SUSTAINABILITY IN INTERIORS AND HOW WE APPROACH IT… WELL, THERE ARE SO MANY WAYS AND YOU DON’T HAVE TO SACRIFICE STYLE IN THE NAME OF THE ENVIRONMENT!

AS A HOME STAGER AND INTERIOR STYLIST, I CONSIDER EHG HOME’S INTERIORS APPROACH TO BE SUSTAINABLE AS WE RENT FURNITURE. OUR FURNITURE IS USED MULTIPLE TIMES AND IS REUSED, RESTORED AND UPCYCLED… UNTIL THE BITTER END!

AS THE BUYER, WE HAVE THE POWER TO DECIDE WHERE WE SOURCE OUR FURNITURE AND WE ARE LOOKING TO BE MORE CONSIDERED WITH REGARDS THE SUPPLIERS WE USE. WE HAVE RECENTLY STARTED TO SELL ITEMS WE NO LONGER USE, AND have BEEN SOURCING SECOND HAND AND VINTAGE ITEMS TO UPCYCLE, INSTEAD OF BUYING NEW.

IF WE SOURCE NEW FURNITURE WE ARE FOCUSED ON BUYING HIGH QUALITY PIECES ALTHOUGH IT IS DIFFICULT TO BE TOTALLY IMPACT-FREE, HIGH QUALITY PIECES OF FURNITURE ARE OFTEN LESS HARMFUL TO THE ENVIRONMENT DUE TO MORE CONSCIOUS STEPS IN THEIR DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING PROCESS. THE SAME APPLIES IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY, SO BY SPENDING A LITTLE MORE MONEY, YOU WILL NOT ONLY GET A PIECE OF FURNITURE WHICH WILL LAST LONGER, BUT YOU HAVE ALSO MADE A CONSCIOUS DECISION TO #DOLESSHARM.

Relish is a lifestyle brand selling pre-loved vintage homewares. This is the most sustainable way to shop, because you’re not buying something new, creating demand for more, or consuming more.


RECYCLE, REUSE, UPCYCLE

BEFORE THROWING UNUSED OR TIRED PIECES OF FURNITURE AWAY, THINK HARD ABOUT HOW YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO REPAINT/RECONSTRUCT A PIECE OF FURNITURE OR HOW SOMEONE ELSE MIGHT LIKE TO USE IT FOR ANOTHER MEANS - AFTER ALL, ONE MAN’S TRASH IS ANOTHER MAN’S TREASURE! We reconstructed this desk after the legs broke; WE FIXed THEM BACK ON AND SOMETIMES WE USE LEGS FROM OTHER TABLES - THEY WORK JUST THE SAME, AND GIVE YOU A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT LOOK!

desk image

WE SHOULD ALL AIM TO BRING UNUSED OBJECTS BACK TO LIFE!  IN OUR HOME STAGING PROJECTS AT EHG HOME WE REUSE ITEMS OVER AND OVER, AND IF THEY BECOME DAMAGED, WE WILL TRY EVERYTHING WE CAN TO RESTORE THEM BACK TO THEIR ORIGINAL STATE. IF THAT ISN’T POSSIBLE, THEN WE WILL TRY AND UPCYCLE.

I recently bought this beautiful bamboo bedside second-hand from Etsy, and i’m going to repaint it an ink blue and add a gold handle to!


NATURAL MATERIALS 

NATURAL MATERIALS ARE NOW THE GO-TO ECO FRIENDLY MATERIAL WHICH INTERIOR DESIGNERS AND DECORATORS ARE sourcing FOR THEIR PROJECTS. FOR EXAMPLE, WICKER WOODS, ORGANIC COTTONS, AND RECLAIMED MATERIALS. THESE MATERIALS ARE PROVEN TO HAVE A POSITIVE EFFECT ON YOUR MIND AND WELL-BEING SO THE INTERIOR INDUSTRY IS PUSHING PEOPLE TO MOVE BACKWARDS, AND RETURN TO THOSE MATERIALS WHICH NOT ONLY FEEL GOOD TO BE SURROUNDED BY, BUT ARE ALSO KIND TO THE ENVIRONMENT.  

Fulham home staging project - natural materials

Fulham home staging project - natural materials

IN TERMS OF HOMEWARE, SIMPLY SEARCH ‘ETHICAL AND SUSTAINABLE HOMEWARES’ INTO YOUR SEARCH ENGINE AND THERE ARE PLENTY OF WEBSITES WHICH ARE NOW STOCKING MORE CONSCIOUS COLLECTIONS. MANY ALSO CONNECT YOU DIRECTLY WITH THE ARTISANS AND SHOW YOU HOW AND WHERE THE ITEMS ARE MADE, AND BY WHO. IMAGINE KNOWING THE WHOLE STORY BEHIND THE HAND-WOVEN RUG IN YOUR LIVING ROOM… PRICELESS. 

Coral and Hive is a fab home and interior brand, producing beautiful and natural handwoven rugs. they have a gorgeous thick weave and we know that they have been ethically and sustainably curated! I also highly recommend weaver green - a great place to source soft furnishings… all made entirely out of plastic bottles!!! most of the throws you see on our instagram will be sourced from there.

Ikea also has an impressive array of furniture made from sustainable materials. The Nilsove chair, for example, is made with rattan and bamboo which are both renewable materials, and the chair pad is made from a renewable cotton which ‘comes from more sustainable sources’ … “the cotton is either recycled, or grown with less water, less fertilisers and less pesticides, while increasing profit margins for the farmers.’

Ikea - Nilsove chair

Ikea - Nilsove chair

I LOVE USING FURNITURE MADE OUT OF NATURAL MATERIALS AND OFTEN USE THEM IN our HOME STAGING AND STYLING PROJECTS. AS IT MAKES PEOPLE CALMER AND HAs A POSITIVE EFFECT ON THE MIND, SURELY THAT IS PERFECT FOR WELCOMING the buyers INTO A PROPERTY ON THE MARKET? I ALWAYS AIM TO CREATE A SOFT, WELCOMING FEEL WITH MY STYLING, TO ALLOW THE POTENTIAL BUYERS TO FEEL AT EASE, AND OF COURSE ENCOURAGE A SALE! 


WE HOPE THIS BLOG OFFERS A LITTLE INSPO TO MAKING MORE ECO-CONSCIOUS STYLE DECISIONS, REDUCING OUR IMPACT ON THE PLANET AND ADVOCATING A MORE MINDFUL APPROACH TO INTERIORS IN GENERAL.

MORE SUSTAINABLE, LESS WASTEFUL! 

LOVE,

K X 

Chloe Staples