Green Services Direct

In a world increasingly conscious of making the right choices for the environment, where we source our every day is making us think more.  Are we making the right choices for our home?  Is our furniture sustainable and environmentally friendly?

There are some great choices to be made out there – whether you are buying new, second hand or even upcycling something you already own.  Get creative, you might surprise yourself and find a new hobby or, if like me your hobby is shopping, there are an abundance of places selling pre-loved furniture or their own upcycled projects for you to browse. 

We throw so much away when really we should consider if it could be used again or used in a different way.  With a little bit of love and care you can always make something good again.  You can create a whole new style to a room just by giving a chest of drawers a few coats of paint and replacing the handles.

Upcycling

Let’s start with the obvious thing – Upcycling!  Take something old and make it wonderful again.  It may sound a bit “Stig of the Dump” but get down to your local Recycling Centre, or as we affectionately call it in our House, “The Dump”!.  It is quite literally an Aladdin’s Cave full of treasures.  We have picked up Chests of Drawers, Wardrobes, Bedside Cabinets, Photo Frames and Artwork.  We even left with a 1920’s Top Hat in it’s original box once – completely unrelated to Furniture I know but it was certainly a talking point for Visitors. 

Some of the things picked up from “the dump” have just needed a wipe down and they have been good to go, others have need a sand down and a lick of paint to make them look like a totally new piece of furniture.  The other upside has been when we’ve decided to change our colour schemes the furniture has been able to be painted again to fit in – no need to buy anything new, perfect!

It is an incredible feeling when you have saved something from Landfill and have put the effort in to make something beautiful again.  There are so many different paints available for this kind of project, do your research but it really is as complicated as you wish to make it.

Pre-owned

If you can be a bit lazy at times, like me, or you just do not have the time there are options galore for second hand furniture that doesn’t need a spruce up.  There is the obvious Ebay, Facebook Marketplace, Car Boot Sales and Second-Hand Furniture shops to source your goods from.  Second-Hand shops are great if you want to browse an array of items so you can see them in all their glory.  I have often found the British Heart Foundation fantastic, they have shops dotted around the UK dedicated solely to the Home.  You can buy from places like this knowing that someone has already checked the items over for breaks and flaws so you don’t get them home and find any nasty surprises.

Some people are making a living from sourcing used furniture and giving it a new lease of life these days, they advertise online or may have their own shop.  You can find some amazing individual pieces this way, without having to do all the hard work yourself.

Eco-friendly furniture

Lastly buying eco-friendly furniture brand spanking new – well it is almost new as it’s made from salvaged wood, recycled textiles and re-used materials like wooden pallets.  Additionally you could consider natural materials like Rattan, Bamboo, and Seagrasses – these make great additions to your Home Décor.

Things to consider are adopting the minimalist attitude “less is more” helps towards owning fewer items which will significantly reduce the amount of waste you collect, this in turn will reduce your carbon footprint.  Buying multi-use items also helps – perhaps that mini table lurking around could double up as a stool to sit on as well?

Wood – we all love wood and tons of furniture relies on this material to be made.  Make the right choices, choose furniture made from wood that has been sourced from sustainably harvested Tree Farms, Forests or reclaimed wood.  Bamboo is also a sustainable durable material, it is incredibly versatile and can be used in the building of furniture or even flooring.

Something else to think about is that some furniture items contain chemicals that release dangerous compounds into the air.  Flame retardants and Formaldehyde are common harmful chemicals so buying eco-friendly items that release low amounts of hazardous gasses is your best choice.  You can reduce this danger by purchasing untreated furniture, for example natural wood or items treated with natural chemicals.  When shopping for sofas look for ones upholstered with organic cotton – these are much less toxic!

The key to living in an Eco-friendly home is “keeping it simple”.  Clean living can be very rewarding and reducing your carbon footprint is always a Team to be rooting for.