Incorporate Earth-Friendly Materials Into Your Home's Decor

According to Danny Seo, having an earth-friendly design means being kind to the planet. See how using recycled, vintage and plant-based materials create stylish home accessories.

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Earth-friendly design is being kind to the planet through the incorporation of natural or environmentally-friendly materials, which can be everything from using recycled, vintage, plant-based and non-toxic materials or items you recycle in a quirky kind of way.

Old swatch books rescued from a wallpaper store garbage bin cover this wall.

Cotton and kapok curtains look like canvas. Kapok is a rainforest tree with fibrous seeds harvested by a local indigenous tribe that are down-like when pulled apart. The trees are never touched so it's a fully sustainable material.

Some buzz words on labels to identify earth-friendly products are recycled (100- or 50-percent recycled), all natural, plant based and biodegradable. There are also certain textiles to look for like hemp and organic cotton. Earth-friendly products are surprisingly affordable and easy to find so check out the labels. You'll be amazed at how effortless it is to be kind to the earth.

Even non-organic compounds can be recycled into stylish and comfortable pieces. Soda bottles that are finely shredded and clumped together feel like a down pillow insert that's also hypoallergenic.

VOCs (volatile organic compounds) cause paint to smell, but VOC-free alternatives are available. They have all the benefits of a latex paint as they're washable and can be tinted any color while being earth friendly at the same time.

Soy candles don't produce soot when burned like regular paraffin candles.

Finally, making your home earth-friendly doesn't stop with fabrics and materials. Little things like dusting refrigerator coils help save energy.

cotton and kapok curtains, matchstick blinds (IKEA)
VOC-free paint (Sherwin-Williams)

Resources

Products
- Soy candles from Natural Wax Candle Company
Guests
- Danny Seo
  Author/Owner, Danny Seo Media Ventures
  302A W. 12th Suite 177
  New York, NY 10014
  E-mail: help@dannyseo.com