SERENA FOKSCHANER discovers it is possible to decorate your home in an eco-friendly fashion: free of nasty formaldehydes, toxins] and rainforest-depleting materials. ‘When I started my business in 2006, there was very little on the market but since then I’ve noticed a definite increase in products available, ’ says Lisa Harland, whose website is a showcase for covetably modern eco textiles and furnishings. ‘At the same time I’m always spotting things that claim to be recycled or organic but obviously aren’t: you need to get your products from a sound supplier.’

A NEW FAMILY HOME – Nursery furniture and wallpaper
For eco-conscious parents, the choice of green nursery wares grows apace, fuelled partly by environmental concerns and the growing incidence of childhood allergies. The Natural Mat Company’s Coco Mat baby mattress has an organic coir (coconut fibre) core with soft lambswool tufting that is breathable and allergen-free. A good range of modern cots includes the birch ply Earth cot; or check out the chic nursery furniture by Oeuf at Bobo Kids, which have a non-toxic, water-based finish. Geraldine Grandidier, founder of Tidy Books, is also conscious of the finish of her products and only uses water-based paint on her book tidies.
 
Dig out your ladder and get pasting with a dinosauradorned wallpaper from PaperBoy, whose designs are printed in England using non-toxic inks; or Mini Modern’s ‘Pet Sounds’ wallpaper, printed with water-based inks on paper from sustainable UK forests.

PAINTS
Earth-friendly paints had a mixed reception when they first appeared with frustrated DIYers complaining some formulations were thin and messy to use. Nowdays, you can pop in to your local B&Q and stock up on low-VOC paints, which use water as a carrier instead of petro chemical solvents. However for the purest paints you need to consider smaller companies, which do not use any resins or solvents. Names that score highly with users include Pots of Paint by historic buildings consultant Edward Bulmer; his powdery-pale greys and blues are particularly appealing. Other names popular with designers include Francesca’s Paints, Auro, Earthborn Paints and Ecos, which has the British Allergy Foundation’s seal of approval. At Paint the Town Green, Phil Robinson specialises in eco decoration using paints manufactured in Iceland. ‘A lot of our clients are families who come to us because they are aware of the effect that ordinary paint chemicals can have on some children.’

 

FLOORING
A short-cut to eco-friendly decorating is to install a reclaimed floor. At the Antique Floor Company, the gleaming timbers come with a history attached; recent acquisitions include Rhodesia Teak salvaged from the Bank of England as well as exquisite parquet inspired by the Palace at Versailles (from £20 per square metre); and they can recommend fitters. For luxe eco, Dinesen’s covetably wide, silverypale wooden flooring is sourced from forests in Germany. For carpeting look at Crucial Trading or Alternative Flooring’s ‘Eco Collection’ which includes hand-woven wool carpets invelvety or more textured finishes. The cotton backing is fixed with natural latex rather than synthetic materials (from £52 per square metre). For super-chic staircases, Roger Oates’ runners are made of undyed Shetland wool. Kersaint Cobb do a range of natural coverings – just, sisal, coir and 100 % wool – which while not exactly homegrown are long-lasting.

 

If natural fabrics conjures up images of hemp-coloured hippiedom, think again. Interior designer Emily Todhunter has produced a range of designs for Oeco Textiles, whose fabrics are made to high environmental standards including the recycling of waste water. For elegant upholstery, Mark Alexander’s sumptuous alpaca and mohair plain velvets come in a range of dyed and undyed shades. Eco Age has a range of fabrics and offers a soundly researched interiors consultancy service. Ryan Kohn of north London architectural firm Living in Space singles out Malabar’s eco velvets made from bamboo, which score highly and for affordable eco fronts, and Ian Mankin’s trademark tickings are made of organic cotton woven in a traditional British mill in the Pennines. Fresh and appealing designs from Les Indiennes and Vanessa Arbuthnott can also be found at Harland’s Organic Furnishings.

 

At Chelsea College of Art Rebecca Earley, Reader in Sustainable Textiles, says, ‘Recently there’s been a real surge of interest in how to produce high-end, economicallyviable designs that are also environmentally friendly.’ The result is what’s become known as ‘upcycling’, where designers re-work discarded materials into new designs.

Five of Rebecca’s protégées have set up Bricolage, a design collective inspired by an appreciation for traditional craft skills and a make-do approach. While Katherine May’s bold but thrifty quilts have been featured at Liberty, Naomi Paul’s ‘macaroon’ cushions knitted from organic wool would look adorable in a child’s bedroom. Another member Clara Veletich produces hand-printed wallpapers and Yemi Awosile has pioneered a textural, modern fabric made from cork from Portuguese forests. Using a mix of drawing and screen-printing, the textiles and cushions from fifth member Polly Burton have a fresh, timeless appeal.

For furniture, Rupert Blanchard re-works discarded antiques into distinctive modern designs. Blanchard has produced a sideboard made of panels from a decommissioned London bus and a kitchen made from old tea crates.

The make-do philosophy has also extended to upholstery. For her jaunty Captain’s Chair, Sarah Bonallo re-vamped a once-stuffy bureau chair with a cover of navy-blue Yorkshire wool and cashmere, trimmed with military-style braiding; perfect for that sunlit seaside bolthole. Another furniture alchemist is Zoe Murphy who updates mid-Century furniture with her own jewel-bright, hand-dyed and screen-printed fabrics. Leather-designer Susannah Hunter salvaged church chairs which flaunt squishily- comfortable leather seats in Hunter’s hallmark
botanical designs.

For off-the-peg eco, head to the Conran Shop. For children, there are primary-bright chairs
made from Coca Cola bottles; the Well Considered Collection has bamboo pieces and recycled products including coasters made from old tyres. Or consider Anthropologie, where
upcycled wares include hurricane lamps fashioned from driftwood or a kindly giraffe’s head made of papier mache.

FINISHING TOUCHES
At French kitchenalia shop Summerill & Bishop, eco-aware baskets, table linen and utensils fit for a Provencal farmhouse are both elegant and durable. Similarly, The Linen Works director Marina Guirey would never describe herself as an eco-warrior. But she takes pride in choosing traditional homewares that are ‘good quality and made to last’. Linens, made of Belgian flax, also have eco credentials: ‘Flax requires no irrigation and fewer pesticides than cotton and the production process uses five times less energy and water,’ says Marina. Her household brushes, made from natural fibres like pig or horsehair, ‘will outlast any plastic ones... which is green in itself.’

www.Bricolageproject.com has links to individual members’ websites.

Lorna Syson www.lornasyson.co.uk
Hannah Lobley www.Hl-web.net
Rupert Blanchard www.stylingandsalvage.com
Deborah Elsaesser www.re-plydesigns.co.uk
Sarah Bonallo www.Sarahbonallo.com
Zoe Murphy www.zoemurphy.com
Susannah Hunter www.susannahhunter.com
Conran Shop www.conranshop.co.uk.
Eco Age www.eco-age.com
Anthropologie  www.anthropologieeu/uk
The Linen Works www.thelinenworks.com
Living in Space www.living-inspace.co.uk
Philip Jeffries at Architetectural Textiles www.architecturaltextiles.co.uk
Malabar fabrics www.Malabar.co.uk
Earthborn paints www.earthbornpaints.co.uk
Tektura www.tektura.com
Tidy books www.tidy-books.com
Ian Mankin www.ianmankin.co.uk
Natural Mat www.naturalmat.co.uk
Bobo Kids www.bobokids.co.uk

Pots of paints at Edward Bulmer www.edwardbulmer.co.uk

Paint the Town Green  www.paintthetowngreen.biz
Mini Moderns www.minimoderns.com
Mark Alexander www.markalexander.com
Donhgia www.donghia.com
Greg Kinsella www.gregkinsella.com
O eco www.oecotextiles.com

Eco Age www.eco-age.com
Harlands Organic Furnishing www.organic-furnishings.co.uk

Antique Flooring Company www.antiqueflooring.com
Crucial Trading www.crucial-trading.com
Alternative Flooring www.alternativeflooring.com
Roger Oates www.rogeroates.com
Kersaint Cobb www.kersaint-cobb.co.uk
Francesca’s Paints www.francescaspaint.com
Auro www.auro.co.uk
Ecos www.ecopaints.com
Paperboy www.paperboywallpaper.co.uk
Summerill & Bishop www.summerillandbishop.com.

Read more About sustainable textiles at Textiles Futures Research Centre www.tfrg.org.uk

Watch more Is our current model of economic growth sustainable?

Watch Tim Jackson tackle this provocative debate online on TED www.Ted.com

A note on sustainable furniture
We have all been told to look out for the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) label when buying wooden furniture but unfortunately there are a host of false claims being made for designs which are not made from sustainable source. For authenticity, look out for the Soil Association’s ‘Woodmark’ label which was one of the first to achieve FSC accreditation in 1996. To see a list of approved certificate holders visit the Soil Association’s website or www.fsc.org