Make My Room Eco-Friendly

Give an eco-friendly facelift to any room in your home.

by Michelle Porter Tiernan

Are you interested in green design, but don’t know where to start? Here are some ways to add eco-friendly touches throughout your home.

Window Dressing

Select window treatments made from durable, sustainable fabrics. Known for making outdoor awnings, Sunbrella also makes indoor fabrics and no wastewater is produced from its fabric dyeing process. Choose from an array of colors and fabrics, including decorative Jacquards, luxurious velvets and romantic sheers.

Green home-building expert Trish Holder chose Sunbrella window treatments for Greenspiration, her eco-friendly showcase home in Greensboro, N.C.  She says they’re extremely durable and won’t fade in the sun and therefore won’t need to be wastefully replaced.

Sweep of Color

Fresh new color instantly changes the look of any room. Go green with chemical-free interior paint, but be careful when adding tints, warns Holder. Read the packaging carefully, or ask the person mixing your paint to ensure it’s a zero-VOC tint.

Zero-VOC paint can cost more than typical interior paint. Glidden’s Freshaire Choice is one of the least expensive, says Holder. You’ll spend only a few dollars more per gallon.

Lighten Up

Brighten a dark room with natural light. Holder chose Solatube to bring light into the windowless bonus room in her Greenspiration home.

As an alternative to skylights, Solatube collects daylight through a rooftop dome and redirects the light into a reflective tube that delivers clear, bright light. It blocks all UVB and UVC radiation and more than 95 percent of UVA rays. Solatube light won’t fade furniture or clothing.

Rustic Rugs

Warm up a bedroom or living room with an area rug in earth-inspired tones. Karastan’s Axminster rugs are woven in reds and browns with cherry red, green and blue accents. Made from 100 percent New Zealand wool, these rugs are naturally resistant to dirt and are biodegradable. Karastan’s worsted wool rugs are designed to be long-lasting and wear very well.

Walls that Breathe

Add texture and visual interest to a room with an all-natural, breathable wall clay treatment. Wall clay does double duty by controlling humidity and static electricity.

“It’s also easy to repair,” Holder says. “If you get any damages or dings, you wet the area and smooth it out.” Wall clay is available premixed with color, or you can add your own tint.