Decorating your home is one of the most hands-on home-based projects you ever have a chance of doing. The chances are you’re not as handy as you’d like to be so you can’t build a house from scratch nor can you make furniture for your bedroom, so all you’re left with is decorating your living space. But, if you try real hard, you can do wonders! If done properly, home decorating goes a long way and can make a palpable difference in your surroundings, but, in order to reach your full potential, you must first investigate numerous decorating styles, techniques and methods. Also, you should look into various materials that are the most suitable for home decorations and use them extensively. And if you really want to make a statement, you’ll opt for natural and eco-friendly materials that will not only reflect your environmentally-safe attitude towards life, but also help our planet survive just a little bit longer. Although lots of people have been using these materials for quite some time now, others are unfamiliar with their excellence, so here’s a quick guide that will explain their benefits and offer a few suggestions on how you can incorporate them into your home as well.

Why choose eco-friendliness?

In this day and age, it’s safe to say that enough people are aware of ecological problems, but not enough of them actually do something about it. Repeating over and over again how serious these issues are and not lifting a finger gets us nowhere, which is why any effort, no matter how small or insignificant it looks at first, is a huge step forward.

That being said, decorating your home really is an easy task and something that can be done in a matter of hours, but choosing to go eco-friendly makes all the difference. If you dress your living space in green décor, you’ll show that you’re environmentally-aware, but also caring and proactive. Moreover, eco-friendly décor and furniture comes with a few real advantages and benefits – from minimizing deforestation to saving you energy and money, which will prove to be more than important every time your bills arrive.

How to become eco-friendly?

The best way to get your home into a new eco-friendly décor regime is by starting small. In other words, instead of spending tons of money on lots of useless decorations – which isn’t that eco-friendly to begin with, is it? – you should begin by adding just two or three small green pieces to your living room or bedroom. The only thing you need to do is make sure they’re 100% eco-friendly and made from reliable natural materials because that’s the only way to see whether this lifestyle agrees with you or not. Eco-friendly rugs, paintings, picture frames or reclaimed wood statues might be the pieces that will open doors towards eco-friendliness, so this is something to start with.

How to continue being eco-friendly?

Once you introduce these pieces into your life, see what kind of energy they create and examine how your life has changed due to them, you can start adding more and more eco-friendly decorations. You’re certainly going to notice how relaxed and easygoing you’ve become, and how much money you’ve managed to save due to these decorations. Moreover, if you pick wisely, you can even turn them into something that will not just make your home more appealing, but also help you insulate your home from within and thus regulate temperature. A couple of woolen wall hangings, for instance, will prevent heat from entering your home in the summer, while something as simple as an embellished jute rug will keep your home warmer during the winter. So, this is something you need to investigate as well if you want to elevate your quality of life.

Which materials are the best?

When it comes to eco-friendly home decorating, there are tons of acceptable materials and you don’t have to do much about them apart from finding a way to integrate them into your home. Being creative is easy when you know you can’t go wrong no matter what you do with a certain material! Some of the best ones out there include organic cotton, wood, bamboo, willow, rattan, while even something unusual such as leather might work quite nicely too. Once you pick your favorite materials, all you’re left with is a simple decision whether to create decorations on your own or find chic eco-friendly brands that gives you a great offer of affordable and appealing decorations you’ll definitely like.

Finally, here’s why some of these materials are worthy of your time and how you can introduce them into your home, starting today.

Wood

This is the most classic and popular material out there and the range of its uses is quite amazing – from simple wooden figurines to an entire hardwood floor made from reclaimed pieces of timber! Not to mention the amazing potential of second-hand wood in creating new furniture in every single room of your home. But, when purchasing wood-based decorations and building materials, you need to pay close attention to the quality of the wood and whether it’s really eco-friendly or not. Sticking to teak wood, reclaimed wood and wood approved by the Forest Stewardship Council makes the most sense and you can be sure you’ve equipped your home with some high-quality and absolutely green wood.

Bamboo

This is a rather unusual decorating material for some people, but the benefits it offers are quite numerous. Bamboo decorations and, even more so, bamboo sheets, towels and blankets, are more durable than we can imagine and will probably outlive us all, while, at the same time, are quite soft, intricate and intriguing. Moreover, they’ll help you regulate indoor temperature and keep you warm during those long December nights. Finally, bamboo can help you fight off pests, mold and fungi, which is something we all need, no matter where we live.

Bio-glass

Not that many people are aware of the potential glass has and how durable it can actually be. However, bio-glass is a more eco-friendly and sustainable solution that’s made from recycled glass, so you can be sure there are no leftovers and nothing gets left behind during the recycling process. Thanks to this process, bio-glass also includes no bingers and fillers, and it’s absolutely clean of chemicals, which is quite important for people who’re looking for environmentally-safe products. The best way to incorporate them into your home is by focusing on the bathroom: just imagine equipping it in bio-glass tiles and adding a huge see-through bio-glass countertop! You can do the same in your kitchen as well, but just be extra careful when chopping meat on it. Ultimately, find ornaments and figurines made from this incredible material and these will definitely add a new dose of class to your home.

Multiple benefits

Opting for DIY eco-friendly home décor instead of spending a small fortune of commercial choices is quite a sensible solution in the long run – it saves you money, creates a more peaceful atmosphere, makes it more elegant and pleasant, so you’ll be happy to spend more and more time at home once it’s carefully decorated. In the end, you’ll feel comfortable inviting your friends to come over more frequently than before, which will make a huge difference in your social life, too!