The Intersection of sustainability and interior Design: Eco-friendly trends

Authored by Ar. Nomita Sawhney, Founder at Design by Meta

More and more we are moving away from the natural world. Our lives are disconnected from the lush green pastures of our childhood playpens, where we have constant interactions with mud, dirt, trees, and the gentle flow of the breeze. Our built environment is our choice, and how we mold it to suit our functional needs, it becomes imperative to make informed decisions that not only fit the “so-called”, and “sustainable”, labels but are truly “good” for us.

Aesthetically one flips through a glossy magazine, in which many materials are showcased, but for a non-professional, it becomes difficult to make the right choices.  Sustainable choices include using natural materials like Stone, Wood (Solid wood), and Bamboo. Also using traditional forms of painting and polishing which are water-based (Non-VOC) rather than solvent VOC (volatile organic compounds). Our homes, offices, and spaces where we spend most of our living lives, need to be clean, eco-friendly, and healthy spaces for our planet and us. Traditionally we have used, linseed oil as a protectant for wooden surfaces which forms a layer and protects the wooden surface, paints have used natural binding agents and were water-based breathable surfaces, and lime plaster used in traditional palaces in Rajasthan.

In our climate the direct rays of the sun in the summer season can cause intense heating in the building, Jali’s cut the harsh sunlight towards the south and west and allow gentle breezes to cross-ventilate our homes. Our homes have also had courtyards in the hearth (center) of the home, allowing for airflow and keeping the rooms inward-looking, with a microclimate being maintained within the inner sanctum of the home. These ways of building were not only aesthetic they were sustainable and followed the natural seasons. In some houses, fountains provide the airflow to be cooled with water and create a cooling comforting effect within the space. In such a space, birds would come and chirp and sing. Such spaces are inclusive of nature and celebrate life in all respects. The reuse of materials which forms the core of sustainable living, is a constant effort in the modern world to re-use and re-purpose all aspects of our daily living objects. The whole idea of the kabadi wallah, where there is nothing wasted, continues traditionally, where all aspects of our waste can be re-used.  To be able to reuse wood that has been discarded, reuse scrap metal which can be forged to create a better piece, and re-purpose old furniture which has character, history, and meaning, becomes the theme of being sustainable.

In essence, to be sustainable today is to return to one’s roots and find that magic which we are missing in our modern quests, to slow down and invest in more meaningful design which has a soul that is valuable and will be able to enhance our surroundings and life. The use and throw-away culture has been replaced by enduring, meaningful designs which will endure the test of time and tell its own story, in tune with the rhythm of nature.