Currently in the process of ‘refreshing’ the lovely townhouse that we live in, in as sustainable a way as possible! We are doing this project slowly, mindfully and on a budget.
I plan to keep this page updated with all of our (my 😉) choices for furniture, lighting, finishes, joinery and general home decor. I’ll share my personal experiences with the products and give open and fully honest reviews.
Anything I share under the ‘Townhouse’ highlight on Instagram (@jadehaveninteriors) will feature below. I hope this inspires you to make some eco-friendly design choices in your own home!
For a peek at the design journey, some more ‘before’ pictures, and how I convinced ‘The Engineer’ to let me overhaul his lovely bachelor pad (!), have a flick through this blog post: Practical Vs. Beautiful: How to Cope when your Other Half thinks Duct-Taping a Mat to the Floor is an Acceptable ‘Home Hack.’
My aim for each element of this ‘eco-refurb’:
- Natural materials
- Recycled/reclaimed materials
- Rustic style
- Layers of texture
- Earthy tones
- Incorporate plenty of nature
- Re-use existing where possible
- Buy second-hand where possible
Side Tables
These are THE handiest little tables ever! They tuck in over the sofa, so they are the perfect perch for a glass of wine or a laptop. They come in a set of two and are really sturdy and high quality. The acacia wood tops are chunky and beautiful. Very happy with these bad boys and highly recommend!
Wool Rug
Got this black and white wool rug in a large size for the living area – really happy with it. Can’t say that my eyes miss the acid-green rug that was there before! 😲
This rug is quite thin, but excellent quality and the varying pile heights in the design add great texture. Very reasonably priced for its size. Currently trying to source a natural/eco-friendly underlay for it to keep it in place – If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know!
Simple design, natural material (woven seagrass) – A really nice little rug. Using it as a doormat in place of The Engineer’s duct-taped blue mat! The texture is quite rough and is not overly absorbent – but it seems to be doing the job and looks great!
Cushions
I was ogling these gorgeous cushions for about six months, but they are not fully eco-friendly, so I held off. They are partially crafted with cotton material but also viscose and acrylic. I couldn’t find anything else I liked as much – so I eventually ordered them this week.
Although they are not made from purely natural materials, I’m hoping they are high quality and will last many years to come – Durability is one part of sustainability!
I don’t think it is possible to be 100% sustainable in every design choice (or life choice, for that matter!) so I eventually swallowed my eco-guilt and went for it. They were most definitely a ‘mindful’ purchase though after searching for many months, and certainly not an impulse buy.
These cute cushions are actually mini-sized (22 x 35cm). I love the rust accent colour that ties the scheme together and links in with the old stone wall tones outside. They are knitted from organic cotton (Okeo-tex certified).
Corner Sofa
Most definitely an environmentally-friendly purchase – we bought this corner sofa second-hand! Also very budget-friendly for a mere €450! The mid-century modern style sofa from US brand Room & Board looks to have cost the original owners in the region of $8-9k! It is in excellent condition and is really comfortable.
I spent a huge amount of time searching for new sofas made from natural and sustainable materials – I really struggled with this one and found almost no viable options on the market. They all seem to be manufactured from synthetic foam and fabrics. If anyone has any suggestions, please do let me know for future reference!
We diverted the old, chunky, black leather sofa from going to landfill by donating it to someone we know for their kids playroom!
The compromise of shopping ‘pre-loved’ is that you may not always find the exact colour, style, or size you are looking for. In this case, this sofa’s style and size were perfect for our space – This took many months of searching through ads. I was like a madwoman checking Done Deal every day!
The neutral colour was not exactly what I had in mind for the Townhouse, though. I had been hoping for a rust-coloured or tan leather sofa, but I am now bringing those colours in via soft furnishing and accessories instead.
Jute Pouffe / Footstool
Love the texture of this braided pouffe woven from natural jute. While the outer material is natural and eco-friendly, the inner is made up of polyfill, so again a bit of a compromise. If anyone knows of any pouffes/footstools that are entirely natural, please get in touch to let me know!
Update: Unfortunately, after a few months of use, a little tear appeared in the pouffe and polystyrene balls have been spilling out. Very disappointing as I loved the look and natural texture of it. It is strange as I also purchased the cantilever tables from the same company and they are premium quality with no issues. I am getting in touch with their customer service and will let you know what they say!
Lighting
This natural salt lamp is put to good use every single evening to give our living space a warm, soothing glow. These are believed to help purify the air too.
You wouldn’t believe how a this portable lamp has transformed our little house – Love it! I’ve shared more photos and details in this blog post:
Create Hygge in Every Corner of Your Home with this Designer Lamp!
Wall Hanging Planters
We have hung three of these wall hanging planters over the dining (/office!) area.
Rattan Dining Chairs
It can be nerve-racking buying furniture online but I bit the bullet and bought four of these natural rattan chairs .. and so glad I did! Thankfully, they are comfortable and extremely high quality, and they add the most beautiful texture to the kitchen-dining area. I can’t stop looking at them! 😄 No buyers remorse here! Highly recommend.
Shelving
Hung one set of these solid wood shelves on the wall over the little ‘island’ in our kitchen. Love the black strap hanging detail!
Storage Baskets
There always seemed to be ‘stuff’ everywhere so we have added more shelves and lots of natural woven baskets so everything should have a place!
Natural Linen Curtains
Natural Linen Curtains – A healthy, sustainable and beautiful fabric. These ones are un-lined so they nicely diffuse the light coming through.
Plant Pots
These little guys literally make me smile every time I look at them!! ☺ Etsy has a range of gorgeous plant pots with faces on them – Definitely worth a look. You can never have too many plants. And such a lovely gift idea too! 🌱
Pampas Grass
Kitchen – Natural Paint
To be as sustainable as possible, we decided to work with what was there and give the kitchen a refresh, rather than ripping it out and starting from scratch.
The cabinetry is made from good, solid oak but had yellowed (oranged?!) over time. We painted the base cabinets a deep, lustrous colour called Somber – 100% natural paint, of course – and added some contrasting copper handles.
For the upper cabinets, we sanded them back, lime-washed them with white natural paint and Biofa Glaze Binder, and finished them off with Biofa Universal Hardwax.
We added some oak shelving and additional cabinetry for extra storage to clear the clutter (and the microwave) from the countertop. Next stop: a backsplash!
Have a look at this page for my discount code on BIOFA Paints (from Biofa Ireland)
Kitchen Cabinet Handles
I chose copper handles to contrast with the dark base cabinetry, and tie in with the warm, earthy palette of the design scheme. Copper is also naturally anti-microbial – a definite plus in these times we are in!
Kitchen Accessories
Bought two of these recycled glass bottles and use them for olive oil. Pretty enough to keep out on display!
Organic Bedding
I chose a sustainable bedding bundle made from organic cotton. White colour with a simple sand-coloured stripe detail. I chose this brand (White & Green) as they are eco-conscious. They donate 1% of their sales to environmental organisations and plant a tree for every purchase.
Cotton is actually an enormously water-intensive crop to produce so we do have to bear in mind this negative environmental impact. In its favour though, this bedding is 100% GOTS certified organic cotton, meaning that pesticides are not used in its production. This is good news for the environment (no nasty chemicals being sprayed on our precious soil) and good news for us (no harmful substances in the cotton sheets touching our skin as we sleep).
Other textile crops like flax (which is made into linen) use a far lower quantity of water in production, and naturally need fewer pesticides so linen would be another sustainable option to consider (especially organic linen, although there doesn’t seem to be any certified organic linen on the market at the moment).
Natural Paint – Walls & Ceilings
We went for AURO natural paint throughout the house.
- Walls: White Smoke (An off-white, very pale grey colour)
- Ceilings: White
- Window reveals and the area underneath the stairs behind the sofa: Havana Cigar 25 (Also a light colour but warmer than the White Smoke)
- Bedroom Walls & Ceiling: Havana Cigar, Romantic Rose, Starfish and Champagne. A layered mix of muted, warm colours to create a textured, gradient effect. I’ll share photos soon!
Have a look at this page for my discount code on AURO Paints (from Ecological Building Systems)
See this post for more info on why I chose non-toxic natural paint over ‘normal’ paint!: Natural Paint Vs. Conventional Decorative Paint – What’s the Difference?
Natural Paint – Front Door
We spruced up the front door with AURO natural paint. Colour: Romantic Rose
Have a look at this page for my discount code on AURO Paints (from Ecological Building Systems)
As you can see, this refurbishment is still in progress. Check back in again soon for more updates and detailed info!
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