Green Design Options

Eco Friendly Green Interior Designs

Photos© SGLivingPod by Amir Sultan

"Green" design or commonly known as sustainable design is fast becoming a requirement in some of the homeowners design brief. As consumers become more and more conscious and aware of the need to protecting the environment , interior designers are forced to incorporate "Green" features in their designs.

In the June 2006 NeoCon (National Exposition of Contract Furnishings) World’s Trade Fair successful GREEN life exhibition indicated an upswing in interest from the designers for environmentally friendly products.

What exactly is "Green" design, and how can one ensure that the design proposed is " Green" and products used are environment friendly. Green design requires a designer to use recycled products and raw materials used in the construction must meet environmental standards. This would include the durability of the product and also the disposal process of the product in question. Green interior design also means less energy consumption by using led lights and energy saver lights instead of the conventional lighting. Green interior design also calls for proper insulation of rooms against heat to use less air conditioning and and the use of solar power whenever necessary. This eco consciouness has also led to discovery of some interesting green products like recycled railway track timber used as flooring and recycled stones used for some kitchen cabinet tops. Some of the basic questions you have to ask if you want a Green Interior Design .

1. Question origin of materials used and look for alternatives if product was imported from a far away land. Using a product closer to home would be considered green since less energy was used to transport it.
2. Question energy source used to make the product and the wastage during production. Less wastage and less energy use for production would constitute a green design.
3. Question the recycled component of the material and check if the product itself is recyclable.
4. Question the maintenance process of the product and check if any environmentally unfriendly chemical is necessary for its maintenance.
5. Most important question if the product pollutes the environment.
6. Question the energy required to run the product to see if there is unnecessary amount of energy is needed to function the product.

The above questions may seem a little inconvenient , but it will go along way in saving our environment. You can start your Green consciousness by installing a simple master switch that shuts down all electrical appliances when you are not at home. This is all that is needed to kick off your Green consciousnesses.