There’s been a theme in interior design and upholstery fabric circles for some time now, a throughline particularly showing up in buzzwords like “green,” “eco-friendly,” and, the one that seems to be the catch-all, “sustainability.”
Sustainability. Sounds good. Whether you’re a particularly environmentally conscious person or not, having a “sustainable” home interior seems like a pretty good idea, right?
But the term itself can feel a little squishy and hard to pin down. And, much like doing other things for home or self-improvement, it’s a “progress, not perfection” sort of deal. It’s about making changes that work best for you, your home, budget, and life — and the planet.
The great news is, whatever your situation or design style, there are some simple, actionable things you can do little by little to make your home and, specifically, your upholstery and decor fabrics ever more sustainable. Let’s take a quick look at some easy wins and what sustainability can mean in a variety of situations in your home.
A Quick Primer: What Makes Green Furniture Upholstery Fabrics Green
Let’s talk about what you’re working with. Here at the largest online furniture upholstery fabric store, this part’s kind of our jam.
Green and other eco terms are, obviously, first and foremost meant to direct the mind to all things earthy and natural. When it comes to fabrics, there are a few basic things to keep an eye out for when you’re looking for what’s most eco-friendly:
Natural fibers: Look for fabrics made of natural fibers. While many natural fiber fabrics these days are blended, the blending comes bearing the gift of its own kind of sustainability through enhanced performance, durability, and affordability while still offering the look and feel of natural fibers.
- For example, look for blended or pure fabrics like cotton, linen, wool, hemp, silk, chenille, and velvet. Leather is also very much a natural material, though a hide, not a fabric.
Recycled: As you likely know, the designation of “recycled” isn’t an all-or-nothing equation. But there’s a greater sustainability factor and reduced impact in choosing fabrics containing some percentage of recycled materials.
- For example, look for fabrics with a mix of post-consumer and post-industrial recycled materials. So what was once discarded is now available as stronger, higher-performing fabrics than ever.
Certifications: Honestly, you can get lost in all the different certifications out there. This is happy news because it means fabrics that certifiably address your own personal ethos and needs are a simple online search away.
- For example, if you’re concerned about chemicals outgassing from fabrics in your home, look for Greenguard Gold certified fabrics (like many Crypton fabrics), certified to be low in such emissions.
Take Your Favorite Old Furniture To New Heights Of Sustainability
So, yes, there are loads of ways — and growing all the time — to elevate your sustainability game through the new products you purchase. But as the old slogan went, reduce, reuse, recycle.
You know that sofa that’s hosted countless movie nights, more than a few deep talks, and the occasional Sunday afternoon nap? It’s the one that’s well-loved but also, well, looking a bit sad at this point.
Reduce your impact. Reuse what you already love. Skip the endless rounds of furniture stores and reupholster instead.
New things are nice, but from a sustainability standpoint, there are negative impacts to the manufacturing process, transportation process, disposal of discarded furniture, etc. AND there are so many positives to reducing your impact while restoring a piece you already love, or a family heirloom, or a local vintage find.
Reupholstering is an act of sustainability.
But how do you do it? This is a topic we cover often and we love covering it (literally and figuratively). It can be as simple or involved as you want, fully restoring and reimagining a piece, or simply refreshing it.
Either way, suddenly that sofa that was early aughts proud but 2024 sad gets a new lease on life in a warm, oyster-beige performance denim, because good things have a way of coming around again. Or how about your Grandma’s chaise lounge that’s been kicking around from family basement to family basement? Now it can find its home in your primary bedroom reupholstered in an alluring rosewood textured velvet.
Old treasure pieces made new, modern, and sustainably green.
Choosing (Literally) Green Fabrics To Add Calm To Your Home’s Vibe
Which brings us to green. With all due respect to Kermit, it actually is kind of easy being green. Warm earth tones as foundations and neutrals have been trending in interior design for a while. Embraced across a range of styles like biophilic (bringing the outside in), hygge (calm/comforting), and Japandi (perfectly imperfect) design styles, just to name a few. The color green supports all of the above.
Certainly, green tones echo the green hues of the natural world. But also, green has long been used as a color to promote a sense of calm and ease — hence “Green Rooms” backstage in theaters.
So, imagine adding some literal green to your favorite spaces. Perhaps that primary bedroom with a headboard in a sage green plush velvet and an upholstered bench at the foot of the bed in an elegant and uplifting green and natural tone woven floral pattern.
Or the sectional sofa that’s so loved and lived-in in your family room reupholstered in cozy and calming muted emerald green velvet or grass green Crypton tweed (the grass really is greener in your house, or at least the couch is *wink*).
All green, all bringing in some natural color tones, all adding to the calm, and all eco-friendly fabrics.
And how about a reading nook in a home office or living room with a pair of wingback armchairs in rich burgundy and brown leather with matching ottoman footstools? Wait, burgundy and brown aren’t green, you say. They are when they’re a performance-grade recycled soft faux leather.
What Going Green Really Means For Your Home’s Comfort And Durability
So what if going green is the “new black,” and one of the most trendy, eminently fashionable choices to make in interior design? Why should you care? Because going green in your home’s style vibe and upholstery isn’t valuable because it’s some viral or celebrity fad. It means more than that.
Centering eco-friendly, green, sustainable design in your home means you get to have more fabrics made to be durable and non-toxic, and offering natural fibers to ground you and your home. It means you get to invest in pieces you love and then lovingly refresh their vibe, just as you do your own, over time.
And it means you get to cultivate a space — and choose colors and textures — that truly foster the emotional and mental health experience you want for you and your loved ones.
When it comes to the fabrics that weave a throughline through your home to support your vision of sustainably thriving, we’re passionate about helping you go green with joy and ease. Give us a call today.