3 sustainable interior design elements for your home
July 31, 2017
Sustainable design is no longer a concept of the future. Interior designers and architects are finding innovative ways to ensure that we start living with the earth and not just on it. But you don’t need to go to huge expense to build a new green home, here are 3 ways to incorporate some eco-friendly changes to your exiting home.

Smart windows and natural lighting

The arrival of smart windows would seem to be a commercial reality and one that will help to keep our homes naturally warm in winter and cool in summer. Heat sensor windows will be controlled by WiFi and can be remotely opened or closed (transparent to opaque) depending on their temperature and specific window treatment.

Sunlight will be modified by the dynamic nanocrystals in the glass to trap warmth in winter to save energy from heating, or to keep out the glare and heat in the summer.

Until such time as this technology is available to us, we should be saving energy by using as much natural lighting as possible by installing large windows that let the light stream in for as much of the day as possible.

Natural and reclaimed materials

Sustainability and using renewable res ources is all about making the most of what we already have or what can be replaced naturally. Many designers use recycled materials to make interior design elements.

Wood furniture and using cork as wall coverings, for example, does a lot for the environment. Lampshades made from recycled glass or even plastic is a great way to go green and help preserve the planet.

Replacing old tired carpets with eco-conscious wooden floors will give your home a whole new look. Use bamboo for large areas of flooring because it is easily renewable. Plants reach maturity in just a few years, whereas other types of wood can take decades. Just be sure to recycle the old carpet!

Just the name sounds like a work of nature. Bringing the outside in is not only an aesthetic design trend, but encourages clean air filtration. Living walls use plants to partially or entirely cover a whole wall with greenery, inside the home.

The concept has been used by some of the world’s large cities to clean the air and create a greener environment. The idea has since been adopted by eco-conscious homeowners, as they not only clean the air, but are also known to reduce stress levels, increase energy levels and alertness.

With residential and commercial building being responsible for one third of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, it makes sense that interior designers and architects are moving towards sustainable design choices. So if you need advice on going green with your interiors then contact us to help you help the planet, and your pocket!

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By Kyra Harper August 15, 2023
Back in March of 2020, Bianca and Jana were dusting off their Fez’s and grabbing the pashminas out of storage in preparation to Rock the Casbah! However, as we all know and vividly remember - with March, came the eventual Covid shutdown, and instead of frolicking down the Moroccan streets, we all shut ourselves inside and watched the days tick by… 3 Years later, and now we can finally say - with conviction - that they’re going to Morocco at the start of September! This blog, filled with excitement and curiosity about all the weird and wonderful curios they might find, and endless sourcing they’ll do, stays as a reminder that sometimes plans change, things go awry and there’s not much you can do about it other than persevere - and that we did! So, here’s Bianca and Jana’s innermost thoughts about the trip, 3 years before it came to fruition, enjoy :) We've got our passports out and Jana has already picked out what she's going to wear each day… Come March [September] we'll be heading north with Air France to the Kingdom of Morocco, bright eyed and bushy tailed as we make our base in the ancient city of Marrakesh (also known as Marrakech to the French, but we're not French, so we'll go with the English version until all that fuss about Brexit is sorted out) - This turned into a year long negotiations trade, and now us outsiders would pay nearly double what we used to if we visit the UK - thankfully our flight is direct!! We'll be looking for inspiration and will be investigating what's there that we could possibly bring back to The Hoed. We can't wait to experience the atmosphere and afro-arabic influences of this amazing place as we visit the celebrated souks and off-the-beaten track artists and craftsmen that make Marrakesh so special. We're desperate to see the beautifully hand-crafted furniture, textiles, fabrics, rugs, carpets, objets d'art, accessories, lighting… anything that catches our eye and could possibly be brought back south. Berber mats and rugs are definitely on our list, as are the kind of furnishings you might find in a gorgeous Bedouin tent. If you think about it, the Bedouin refined the art of "glamping" into an artform - fabulous carpets on the ground, soft, billowing fabrics hung here and there, plump cushions spread on the ground, intricate leatherwork and carved wood, patinated metal… Total Glamping vibes! We just love all of it and will be tracking as much of it down as we can. We'll also have an eye or three out for wonderful ceramics and glassware and wonderful lamps that give off soft, filtered light.  For us it's about workmanship, so we'll hopefully be finding the people who make furniture and ceramics using techniques that have been passed down over countless generations meaning that everything we look at will have its own, and its own special story. Our mission is to share those stories with you and, if it's feasible, bring some of that special workmanship home to the Rainbow Nation. We're most definitely inspired and are sure this is going to be a truly special trip! Counting the sleeps till then! Less than a month to go now - we will be keeping the updates going on our social channels as well as another few blog posts to explain in detail our wild adventures - Stay tuned!
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