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Thinking of updating you’re the décor inside your home? Whether you are doing a complete renovation or simply updating one room at a time, using eco-friendly “green” finishes for your home’s interior will beautify your home while protecting the environment.

Here are 5 ways to make your next interior design update green and stunning:

From the Floor Up

When you hear “cork,” your first thoughts may be of wine-sealing or bulletin boards and not brilliant home finish, but you’d be missing out. Surprisingly, this product that is 80% air offers shock absorption, natural insulation, and is durable enough for everyday use. When turned into a coated veneer, it is lightweight, lasting and does not stain easily while being slip-resistant. Use it on floors, walls and showers. At $10-$12/square foot, it is also budget-smart. This stunning flooring is made of cork.

https://www.sustainableflooring.com/sustainable-flooring/

Love the look of silk? How about turning silk worm fodder into a vivid interior floor or wall finish? After silk worms finish eating mulberry leaves, the ravaged branches are trimmed from the trees. Bark is stripped for medicinal use, leaving the richly grained wood to be turned into a dramatic wood panel. Pricing averages $10/square foot.

http://www.etimberr.com/products/mulberry/

The look of leather is as timeless as you can get, and scraps from the production of furniture, clothing and auto interiors are generally landfill material. Seeing the lost potential, EcoDomo has turned this into richly hued tiles and panels. The leather tiles are sound-absorbent like cork. Caring for them requires a simply damp mop and wax treatment every four months or a surface sealant every five to ten years. Depending on the tile size you select, price runs $18-$35.

http://ecodomo.com/recycled-leather1-2/

Gleaming Counters

Polished granite countertops have been the norm for so long, it is hard to imagine that something so beautiful could be so destructive to the mountainsides it is mined from. Enter up-cycling (using waste materials or unwanted products into new materials or products of better quality or environmental value.) Remarkably, you can purchase incredible countertops made from just about anything recycled. The key is to confirm that a counter surface you are considering is made from recycled material instead of the original raw material. Surfaces that are currently on the market include recycled plastic, paper, aluminum, wood, stainless steel, concrete, ceramic, and a favourite for elegance and durability, glass.

Using 100% recycled glass with no fillers, dyes and no off-gassing, Bio-Glass provides a timeless product to create lasting beauty as your kitchen and bathroom counter of choice. The satin finish has a slightly hammered texture and can be under lit to enhance the luminosity. It can be purchased in various shades of green, as well as blue, brown and white. The price? About $80/square foot.

http://www.coveringsetc.com/BioGlassProjects?pfid=a1050000002aAnW

Painted On

At some point, every home needs a coat of paint, and choosing an eco-friendly, green paint has never been easier. Rona offers a recycled paint for just $20. Made from at least 50% recycled paint, it has lower volatile organic compounds, and removes harmful substances from both your home and the landfills.

https://www.rona.ca/en/recycled-interior-paint-20135125

Warm Accents

Going green can be as easy as adding an accent rug to your room for both warmth and comfort. The fibres that rug is made of, though, can make a world of difference to both your health and the environment. Rugs made with petroleum products, like nylon and polyester, are loaded with volatile organic compounds (VOC) that are chemical gasses and have been linked to everything from irritated sinuses to headaches and nausea.

Select a rug made from 100% natural fibres such as wool, bamboo, jute, seagrass, or cotton. They will not only last longer, they will feel better underfoot and contribute to a healthier home. They can be easily found at nearby rug stores and home improvement centres.

https://www.lowes.ca/flooring/rugs/area-rugs/material/natural-fiber/

All The Trimmings

Electric and plumbing appliances have led the way for being more environmentally friendly, so it goes without saying that any such appliances and fixtures you want to update should be energy star efficient to reduce electricity usage. New toilets should have a low-flow option to cut water waste. And a simple aerator insert on sinks and shower can reduce water used in cleaning up.

Taking advantage of the growing selection of green, environmentally friendly home finishes can not only help save the environment but will improve your home’s visual appeal as well as value.

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