Sustainable Luxury Interior Design
W&S Home and Lifestyle Editorial Team
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Luxury interior design is often not associated with sustainability. Unfortunately, many of us often assume that quality is not aligned with the ethos of conscious living and caring for the planet.
This notion is certainly not true, especially concerning the big decoration and renovation budgets that go hand in hand with luxury spaces. More money and resources shouldn’t mean destruction in design but more opportunity to make a genuine commitment to protecting the environment.
We, therefore, put together our picks for sustainable luxury interior design. This edit was made to help those seeking design inspiration for their luxury spaces see that sustainability is sexy and thoroughly approachable in luxury living.
What Is Sustainable Luxury Interior Design?
Luxury interior design is the design of indoor spaces for upscale and high-end properties. The budgets for these properties are as extravagant as the location, floor plans, and materials used to design them.
Luxury homes in the United States make up around 1% of all homes sold in the US. Still, they are some of the most expensive and time-worthy residential projects that go into construction compared to the average single-family home build.
This is where the importance of sustainability comes in. The orthodox concept of sustainability comes from the Brundtland Commission’s 1987 report titled Our Common Future, which defined it as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
This definition is purposefully vague and is often criticized for its association with and justification of economic practices harmful to the environment. Thus, we at W&S understand sustainability instead simply as a tool to help people live more consciously.
Sustainability is doing things in a way that aims to minimize the impact on the natural environment as much as humanly possible. Those living in luxury spaces can quickly implement this into every fabric of their interior design.
This is because they can invest in the sometimes costly home upgrades, such as climate control and solar panel systems, that significantly impact energy consumption without any financial burden. Moreover, luxury homeowners can afford to hire the best local artisans and designers specializing in sustainable interiors.
For those wanting to live in luxury properties, this is the bare minimum that can be done. Luxury properties are, on average, 3,500+ square feet, making them powerhouses for energy, water, and land consumption.
It’s therefore unsurprising that the luxury real estate industry is constantly met with outrage and calls for action against their widespread failure to use their financial muscle to innovate home interiors to be more eco-friendly.
Luckily, there is a growing realization that ecologically destructive norms of the luxury real estate market have to shift to more sustainable models, with home buyers increasing their demand to reside in ‘green premium’ spaces. In turn, developers, designers, and architects in the luxury real estate industry are beginning to provide more sustainable options to their clients.
Core Tenants Of Sustainable Luxury Interior Design
For those renovating or moving into a new luxury space, we suggest keeping in mind the three Rs for sustainable design:
Repurpose
It’s often assumed that revamping the interior of one’s home, luxury or otherwise, means getting rid of everything that’s there and starting from scratch. This is not true at all! A great way to curate a sustainable space (and save money) is repurposing what you already have.
Repurposing can look like many different things, such as:
Painting/refinishing furniture and walls
Swapping out hardware
Thrifting and antiquing for pieces that do double-duty (i.e., using dressers as nightstands)
“Old is gold” is a wonderfully conscious approach to luxury interior design. Once you realize your aesthetic goals for the house, employ your resources to look for everything that already exists that fits into your design style before doing anything.
Remodel
Luxury interior design clients benefit from the ability to spend large amounts of money on renovations, some even having complete control of the house build from start to finish.
All luxury homeowners should incorporate eco-friendly interior basics such as triple glazing, underfloor heating, solar paneling, and affordable build-ins into their interior design.
We suggest architects and interior designers work closely together for the optimal consciously curated space for those working on new builds. Successfully implementing sustainable home elements things as Passivhaus or a greywater reuse system, for instance, work best when both the structural integrity, done by the architect, and the internal functionality, done by the interior designer, of the home are approached symbiotically.
Reduce
Reduce
When it comes to designing a conscious space, waste must be taken into serious consideration. This isn’t necessarily a call for minimalist design but for the entire design process to be mindful of how materials are used and discarded.
Considering the first two principles of sustainable luxury interior design, repurpose and remodel, definitely help. But there is more to reducing waste than that.
When designing your space, think about the longevity of each choice. Sticking to simple, classic designs that stand the test of time is always preferred. The more thought and care put into the design process, the less likely you want to renovate, redesign, or change things in the future, which helps minimize waste.
Remember, home trends come and go. Think about what’s best for you and your family now and in the future.
Sustainable Luxury Interior Design Inspiration
As you know, we at W&S are well aware that sometimes, you need to buy things. Instead of shame spiraling in that reality, we encourage our readers to reframe purchases within the lens of conscious living.
In this way, we ask you to think not about what you buy but about why and how you buy it. For instance: are you buying something because you genuinely believe your quality of life will be better in the long term; have you researched the item you want to ensure you are purchasing/obtaining it in the most conscious, sustainable way you can; etc.
Once you’ve approached your luxury interior design through repurposing, remodeling, reducing, and answering the above questions but still need a few bits here and there, it’s time to consider getting a few new things.
This is where the following edit comes into play. Browse through this W&S Approved curation of conscious and sustainable products sure to satisfy the needs of any luxury interior design project.
Kitchen & Dining
Sustainable Luxury Interior Design
The kitchen is undoubtedly the heart of your home, making it the focal point of most residential interiors. No matter how formal or informal your lifestyle, kitchens are the most universally used and visited places in a family home, next to the bathroom. However, unlike the bathroom, kitchens are spaces of socialization and connection.
Kitchen and dining spaces are used for family meals, parties, and other important community activities. The modern kitchen has transformed from a mere cooking space to a central gathering area. This is why we believe any home renovation or project should start in the kitchen whenever possible.
Kitchens significantly impact a home’s overall air quality, energy efficiency, and water footprint, making the kitchen a central space of concern when thinking about sustainability. This is true in all homes, luxury or not, but is essential when designing a luxury space.
We’ve curated some of our favorite sustainable kitchen design picks, including the highest-rated energy-efficient appliances, handmade woodwork, and FSC-certified table decorations.
Photo from The Little Market
Photo from MATHEW COX
Photo from deVOL
Sustainable Luxury Interior Design Trends We’re Loving Right Now:
Biophilia
Repurposed wood flooring
Statement lighting
Photo from West Elm
Photo from Plykea
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Kitchen & Dining
2. Living & Family
Sustainable Luxury Interior Design
The living and family rooms are often considered the most critical rooms regarding a home’s overall aesthetics. They are often the place where most families spend quality time together outside of the kitchen.
With the disappearance of things like “third places” and the need for social distancing measures, the importance of having quality living and family spaces is becoming more relevant than ever.
Our take on sustainable luxury interior family and living rooms is concerned with functionality and elegance in equal measure. We’ve curated beautiful-looking pieces that were made in the spirit of consciousness. Browse through our picks ranging from handcrafted sofas designed in Mexico, upcycled beechwood side tables, and local textiles and prints from North Carolina artisans.
Photo from Joybird.
Photo from Avocado.
Sustainable Luxury Interior Design Trends For Living & Family Rooms We’re Loving Right Now:
Seagrass carpet
Plant partitions
Green and pink accents
Photo from Maiden Home
Image from The Little Market.
Photo from Sabai
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Living & Family
3. Bedroom
Sustainable Luxury Interior Design
According to the ancient Chinese traditional practice Fend Shui, or Chinese geomancy, the bedroom is the central area of the home. The bedroom is important because we spend around ⅓ of our lives asleep.
It’s therefore key to our overall health and wellness that we keep our bedroom area as calming and safe as possible. Consciously designed, sustainable bedrooms are great for this as they allow us to have more quality rest without worrying about causing harm to the planet.
We’ve curated bedroom sustainable luxury inspiration focused on providing a sense of calm through ecologically-minded items. Discover our curation of American made ceramics, organic linen bedding, traditionally crafted mirrors, and other items that fit perfectly into a sustainability-led interior design.
Photo from Joybird.
Photo from Bed Threads.
Sustainable Luxury Interior Design Trends For Bedrooms We’re Loving Right Now:
Linen textiles
Ceramic light fixtures
Woven furniture
Photo from Virginia Sin.
Photo from The Citizenry.
Photo from Nkuku.
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Bedroom
4. Bathroom
Sustainable Luxury Interior Design
The importance of a consciously curated, sustainable bathroom cannot be understated. Bathrooms are undoubtedly some of the most intimate places within our home. We spend a large portion of our time in these rooms naked— or at the very least with our pants down.
What’s more, bathrooms also take up a large chunk of energy use within the home, as electric showers are significant energy users in most family homes in the US.
While we can always switch to plastic-free soaps and shampoos, use recycled tissues, etc., the foundation for building luxury bathrooms must be equally conscious of the natural environment.
Browse our picks for 100% sustainable cotton bath mats, glass-finished tiles, and GOTS-certified rugs.
Photo from Piglet in Bed.
Photo from Bed Threads.
SustainableLuxury Interior Design Trends For Bathrooms We’re Loving Right Now:
Solid stone bathtubs
Skylights
Reclaimed brass fixtures
Photo from Under The Canopy.
Photo from Coyuchi.
Photo from The Porcelain Superstore.
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Bathroom
