According to décor trend gurus, sustainable materials, responsible manufacturing, and the reuse and resale of furniture and homeware are key trends for 2022.
In line with the accelerating green building movement, sustainability and the use of organic materials have become prominent in recent years. People are becoming increasingly aware of climate change and the need for everyone to do what they can to keep our planet healthy for longer.
The sustainability movement has fed into the interior industry and individual homes, influencing how people buy furniture and other décor items. Investing in meaningless furniture and accessories is old school - there is a strong move towards furniture items with local and reclaimed woods and accessories in recycled glass and metal.
Worldwide, there is a clear shift towards more conscious choices - in materials or extending the life of homeware items instead of replacing them with new ones. Second-hand furniture and homeware have seldom been more popular.
Sustainability
Sourcing locally can be the first step to sustainable furniture buying. Smaller or independent retailers often source items from local manufacturers and merchants. By supporting them, you can more easily discover the sustainability status of each piece of furniture and its supply line.
There is also the feel-good factor in supporting local companies, where product supply and ethics are often more apparent.
Upcycling
Upcycling benefits the environment by reducing the volume of air, land, and water pollutants in processing new goods. It also avoids using additional natural resources and reduces excess waste that would otherwise end up in landfills.
With the advent of mass production of affordable furniture, refurbishing items largely went out of vogue. Lately, however, it is coming back into fashion. By revamping an old piece of furniture with some eco-friendly paint, you will be benefiting the environment and your budget.
Old chairs and tables can be given a new lease on life with a modern paint job, and old sofas can be recovered with new fabric. A bonus of your new sustainable furniture is that it is unique.
Recycling
In recycling, you reuse materials from old furniture to make something new. This reduces the number of raw materials needed and limits the amount of energy used to manufacture raw materials.
DIY
An obvious offshoot of upcycling and recycling is homeowners taking on DIY projects to create more mindful homes.
Many more South Africans are choosing to complete various home improvement tasks themselves. Whether it’s fitting blinds, painting walls, or building a new table, we become increasingly confident in our abilities. The positive effect on our contentment reinforces the importance of doing things ourselves.
Home crafts are popular, with a lot more people sewing and making cushions and other home décor items and garden furniture out of wooden pallets. However, for less experienced DIYers, refurbishing old pieces of furniture is a great way to reduce waste.
The bottom line is to be as environmentally safe as possible, which is better for the planet. So whether you opt for salvaged, recycled or upcycled furniture - or simply items built locally with local materials, there are ways for everyone to live more sustainably.