5 Green Ideas for Your House!

In a world full of colors, consider going green! As you might have already guessed, I’m not just referring to the actual color, but to the entire environmental concept.

Nowadays, it has become essential to take it into consideration. Years ago, it didn’t need to have a name, cause people were just more used to respecting nature, but with the technological and industrial development, the original concepts got slowly forgotten. As a consequence, we find ourselves ahead of important climate changes, the increase of pollution, the necessity of recycling, to mention just a few. Anyhow, I’m not here to give you an environmental lesson, but I would like to share with you some basic connections between the green concept and architecture.

1. Bring Nature In = Be Healthy!

Various studies have proved that nature in itself and all the elements connected, like interior plants or natural light are extremely important for our physical and mental health. It looks like green in itself as a color, helps us improve our productivity and can also have a role in relaxing. For example, choose to use some green accents for your bedroom or if you have the possibility, design a room with a view. What is better than opening the windows in the morning ahead of a green scenery? Even planting a tree in front of your house can be a good idea to get this result, you don’t need to live in the middle of the forest for that! However, I would not advise bringing plants inside the bedroom, since at night you might feel like they are literally “eating” your oxygen.

The case of spaces where you spend most of your time during daylight (like kitchen, dining, livingroom) is totally different: it is actually a great idea to bring plants inside these rooms, since they have so many benefits for your health. Check out this idea for creating your green space inside:

Furthermore, if you want to be more efficient at work, instead of simply painting a wall green, put a plant on your desk: you might notice the effects sooner than you think! I’m sure you might have seen online that there are entire office buildings designed in order to encompass an actual green space, with benches or caffes. Of course there are so many aspects to take into consideration when designing such a space, from proper ventilation to natural lighting in order for the plants to develop naturally. However, until arriving at building these spaces, nobody stops you to bring your own little green “oasis” inside or just a small bonsai that can become a real “art for the heart”.

2. Bring Light In!

In fact, another essential “green” aspect when projecting our spaces, either at home, work or in public institutions, is the natural light. Never underestimate it! There is nothing worst than living in a room without windows…trust me! Architects and scientists from around the world have recognized the importance of natural light for a healthy development, not only physical, but also psychological.

Artificial light can be ok for a small amount of time, but when you spend too many hours under its influence, the level of tiredness increases faster than it would under natural light. This is why before designing any building, nowadays there is an important step that should be respected: the study of lighting in base of the cardinal points. In some cases, it might be impossible to totally respect these rules, but even so, the spaces that should be “sacrificed” through the lack of natural light should always be secondary spaces (such as a deposit or, in some countries, bathrooms). Anyhow, remember to do your best and bring light inside as much as possible!

3. Use Sustainable Materials!

Another idea for you to keep your design green is to choose carefully the materials used for your furniture or for the construction of the house. For example, wood is an excellent sustainable material that can help you create a magnificent design and might also keep the prices low, depending on your country and its level of wood resources. Finland for instance is a country that respects wood and has understood how important that is. They use it in major amounts, but they also plant it where they cut it. Trust me: been there, seen that and it was a real pleasure for the eyes seeing entire new forests!

In other places of the world, today there is a tendency for using also cork or bamboo for producing furniture, since these proved to have great physical properties besides a reduced environmental impact. Take a look at this home-office desk designed in bamboo: simple but efficient design.

4. Save Energy = Save Money!

Consider this when you start building a house! The investment might give you headaches at first, but take a minute and calculate the amount of energy saved: you will easily understand that it is an investment that comes back to you sooner than you’d think. I do not refer only to the famous solar pannels, but also to so many other systems to save energy, from the natural ventilation systems to the geothermal heat pump. Make a proper research before starting the construction of your dream house. Things are constantly changing around the world and people start to understand the importance of energy saving systems.

5. Go Outside!

Have you taken all of my advice until now? For that, you deserve a little walk! I’m joking, of course, but this is the last step that came into my mind right now if you want to live better. You can choose to take a walk in the mountains or, if you have the possibility, design your little green corner just outside your house. Take care of it, since it will bring you so many benefits.

Disclosure: in this article there are included some affiliate links to products I either tried or really believe could work perfect for your design, so I reccomend them with confidence. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you choose to include the products in your designs, you are welcome to share your opinions or even photos of the results. Thanks a lot!

This is all for today! Chill out and choose green, while I search for inspiration for my next archistory!