Green Interior Design
With so much of the country these days working on ways
of saving our planet and “going green” it is not
surprising that green has found its way into interior
design.
A building cannot be green on the outside without
being on the inside. Energy conservation is a key step
to going green so it only seems fitting that the first
step to a green interior design is to plan rooms with
energy sensitive lighting.
Green interior design can also reflect the energy a
home gives off and uses up. You want a home that can
be kept thermally comfortable while keeping the energy
consumption at a low.
Green methods of thermal comfort can include solar
heating units, thermostat set backs and good home
insulation.
Insulating the home is one of the biggest money
savers, and many people don’t realize that going green
may also have tax deduction advantages.
The approach of insulation can be applied to newer
homes as well as older ones.
Fine-tuning a green interior can take some work but it
can allow you to reduce energy costs without losing
design quality.
Additional ways to conserve energy in a home can
include covering walls with fabric gathered on a rod
at the top and bottom, using closets as buffers on
north or west walls, adding a heat lamp to a bathroom
to take the chill off on a cold morning, use thermal
wallpaper to insulate and using foil wallpaper to
reflect heat back into the interior.
Also, using filled bookcases on outside, non-mass
walls act as insulation, large decorative rugs,
tapestries or fabric wall hangings on outside non-mass
walls also add insulation.
There are many steps you can take to go green with
your interior design. A quick Internet search can give
you a lot of ideas.
