In our world today, we have many issues that challenge our lives, homes and communities. Topics such as climate change, water scarcity and rising energy costs force us to seek more sustainable home design ideas.
I was recently asked to collaborate on an article by Redfin, the real estate agency. They were writing a blog post on sustainability and eco-friendly home design ideas and wanted my opinion on sustainable materials. Redfin reached out to several professionals in the sustainable design industry to get their opinion. These professionals provided excellent ideas for creating a sustainable and eco-friendly home.
These ideas are generally useful in any home. However, several of them are especially beneficial for houses in the tropics.
The sustainable design ideas include interior design, landscaping, energy-saving and general green building strategies.
Here are 10 of my key takeaways from the Redfin article on sustainability and eco-friendly home design ideas.
1. Start Small
There is a widespread belief that building a sustainable home is expensive. Though some sustainable strategies can be more costly than traditional methods, this does not have to be the case.
A sustainable design approach could start with small steps like switching to LED light bulbs.
Adding a few plants to your home is another simple way to make your environment greener.
Making small, daily changes to your home and lifestyle can have a significant impact in time. This strategy can help give you the perfect start on your journey to an eco-friendly home.
2. Repurpose Old Items
One of the most sustainable strategies you can do is repurpose things you already have.
Repurposing old clothes to create something new, like curtains, is a unique way to create a charming decor element for your interior design.
Old furniture can also help give your home a vintage look while extending its life.
Reusing old items mean you will buy fewer new things. The benefits of buying fewer new items include consuming less energy and, by extension, carbon emissions to produce and ship those products.
In addition, this strategy can also help you save some money in the process.
You can repurpose your old furniture and decor or buy second-hand ones.
E-designers, which are interior designers who practice entirely online, are also worth considering. Many e-designers will try to make use of things you already own. They can enhance and bring a fresh new look to your old items.
3. Use Natural Materials
Sustainable design tries to incorporate as many natural materials and resources as possible. This strategy is beneficial to the environment and our health as well.
Materials with complex and energy-intensive manufacturing processes tend to harm the environment the most.
Wood, stone and bamboo are far more natural than concrete, glass and steel.
Using rattan, cane, raffia, and similar materials is an excellent sustainable alternative for light fixtures, furniture and other decor items. They also add natural textures, finishes and tones to your tropical home decor.
4. Find Local Materials
A significant part of carbon emissions comes from shipping goods and materials around the world. Therefore, it is a good idea to use materials from local or regional sources.
This practice reduces the distance these materials travel to get to your site.
Using local materials and products also has additional benefits.
Local woods, stones and similar materials can sometimes be more resilient to your climate and environment.
In addition, it employs local artisans, manufacturers and suppliers. Hence, contributing to local economies and commerce.
5. Build What You Need
Our homes perform many functions in addition to their primary purpose of providing shelter.
However, homes have been increasing in size.
We have many rooms and some of these rooms perform the same function. For example, many homes today come with a formal dining room, a breakfast area, a bar counter and sometimes an outdoor dining patio.
Building a home that is efficient at serving your needs is real sustainability. A small, efficient home uses fewer materials. It also consumes less energy in its day-to-day functions.
6. Connect With Nature
Forming strong connections with nature from within your home has several benefits. These benefits include health and wellbeing.
This strategy also encourages you to have more natural elements in and around your home.
In addition, you can find more ways to incorporate passive strategies into your home. Natural ventilation, daylight and sun shading strategies are great techniques in tropical climates.
Biophilic design is a great way to help us reconnect with nature in our homes.
7. Incorporate Gardens And Rain Gardens
Adding a garden to your home benefits the property and your family. It provides a beautiful place to enjoy.
However, it is also beneficial to our environment.
Gardens are a much better way of treating the area around your home than using hardscaping like concrete pavings. Having gardens containing trees and other plants helps make your home cooler. This situation is advantageous in hot, tropical climates and promotes cooler air in and around your home.
In addition, gardens provide more areas to capture rainwater. Hard pavings cause rainwater to drain away into stormwater management systems which may lead to the ocean. However, it is better if this stormwater goes into the ground. This process also helps replenish groundwater stores.
You can also go a step further and add a rain garden to your lot. Rain gardens usually contain native plants in a slight depression on your site. It should be near a low point of your property. This depression allows water to flow towards it.
The soil composition usually promotes water to drain quickly into the ground. Hence, it prevents rainwater from settling and becoming a breeding area for mosquitoes.
In tropical regions, they are seasons where there is a lot of rainfall. Therefore, ensure that your rain garden is large enough and drains appropriately to manage the amount of rain.
8. Use Native Plants
Using native plants in your garden is a great way to make your house more eco-friendly.
Native plants are best for their climate and environment.
Therefore, they usually do not need a lot of care and maintenance. Hence, this reduces or eliminates the need for supplemental watering and fertilisers. They also tend to require no pesticides.
Plants native to the region grow easily and are resilient to local conditions. In addition, they provide habitats for local species of birds, insects and other wildlife endemic to your area.
Adding a garden with native plants is a much better sustainable and eco-friendly strategy than a lawn.
9. Maintain The Natural Site
If you are building a new home, an excellent place to start is to minimise the impact you are making on the site.
Identify any mature vegetation and natural water features and try to maintain these. Ideally, it is best when the home and garden minimise their impact on the site’s natural terrain.
10. Harness Solar Energy
Using renewable energy sources is an excellent way to reduce the dependency on fossil fuels.
Solar energy is one of the most accessible renewable energy sources in residential applications. It is abundant in tropical regions.
Adding photo-voltaic (PV) panels to your home is an excellent way to lower your carbon footprint while reducing your electricity bill. The cost of electricity from solar energy also tends to fluctuate much less than that of fossil fuel sources. Hence, they are financial benefits there as well.
You can also use solar thermal water heating.
Feature image by Elle Hughes
Beautiful tropical designs. Really liked it.
Hi John, thanks for the comment. I appreciate it.