Interior Design Going Green

One of the hottest trends in recent years has been the idea of going green and creating environmentally friendly products. Not only does this reduce the amount of garbage and trash in the landfills, but it also a less expensive option in many cases. Interior designers are learning that there are a number of ways for interior design to go green.

Bamboo has always been one of the top choices for green interior designers because it's a renewable source that can continue growing even after its cut down. Initially, bamboo was a popular flooring choice because it can be stained or painted to take on any color. Bamboo can even be made to look like hardwood floors or tiles flooring. Today bamboo is also used to make wall coverings and even furniture.

Recycled wallpaper is another hot trend in interior design. Several companies are taking existing pieces of wallpaper and recycling them to create brand new pieces. The final design incorporates scraps of existing paper or even broken paper and turns them into something entirely new. It also prevents the wallpaper glue from ending up in a landfill where it won't break down.

Green interior designers are also learning the benefits of distressed wood. Distressed wood comes from a variety of places including broken furniture, houses that are demolished and even pieces of an old sailboat. The pieces are left as is, not sanded down or stained. Designers use the pieces of wood to create decorations as well as new pieces of furniture such as kitchen tables.

Salvaging is also becoming popular in green interior design. Salvaging is the process of taking existing pieces of furniture and reusing them. In some cases the pieces are saved and turned into something else. For example a designer may take a broken desk and tear it apart to use the wood for something else. Other designers will take the salvaged piece and give it a coat of paint or new upholstery to give it a brand new look. Recycled pieces in general are also very hot right now for green interior design. They can come from thrift stores, trashcans, and even city dumps.

There are even a few interior designers incorporating wood scraps into their design plans. Wood scraps are the small pieces and fibers left behind after a sawmill breaks down larger pieces of wood into planks and plywood. These pieces are traditionally swept up and thrown away, but a few designers are reusing the pieces. When combined with glue or another type of adhesive, the scrapes can be pressed into wood planks and turned into furniture or other design elements like mirrors.

These are only a few of the ways interior design is going green. The trend began in the early 1990s as the problems in the environment leapt into the news and it's only grown from there. Consumers and customers are now demanding more products that are green and asking that these sources be used in their homes and businesses. It's clear that interior design will only continue to go green in the future.