Sustainable Ethical Interiors – Living Room 2023

I struggled with how to write articles on interiors. Whenever I write an aricle on where to buy things I worry that I’m just contributing to our epidemic of shopping pressure. Then my brain argues that by emulating mainstream ‘buy me’ websites. I will reach a wider audience and be more successful in enticing some of them to reconsider their participation in the our disposable goods culture.

In this article I’m trying to strike a balance between pretty pictures that make the article enjoyable to peruse and a useful directory for when you consciously choose to purchase a sustainable ethical replacement for something you actually need something, because after all that’s the only time we should actually be buying anything.

Nothing mentioned in this article has been sponsored. It’s all just my own personal opinion. If you like your sources to remain independent then please;

share this article, or
buy me a coffee on Ko-fi, or
make a one-time donation via Paypal

First things first, wall decoration. If you’re thinking paint, check out my article on Eco & Natural Paint. If you’re thinking wall paper then read on ….

If you fancy adding a bit of jazz to your freshly painted walls consider these reusable fabric decals. This one is from the company Mej Mej.

If your heart is set on wall paper,  Barbeline’s smooth wallpaper is made in the UK And is printed with water-based latex inks that carry the Greenguard Gold certification

Another sustainable alternative to single-use wallpaper is removable, reusable fabric as wallpaper. Interesting? Then check out this tutorial on how to hang DIY fabric wallpaper

The sustainable options when it comes to rugs at the moment would be to buy long-lasting Fairtrade versions, made from natural or recycled materials. Here are a few companies offering such rugs.

Hug Rugs offers a range of rugs made with recycled or natural fibres, backed by recycled rubber. The company have ensured all their packaging is compostable or recyclable and their textile mills in Yorkshire sends zero waste to landfill/incineration. Their mats come with a 5 year guarantee.  

Weaver Green (see photo above) in Devon, England create rugs, blankets, footstools, cushions and bags from recycled plastic bottles. Their rugs are made from up to 3000 recycled plastic bottles and non-toxic dyes and each looks and feels just like wool or jute but are hard-wearing, water-resistant, easy to clean and machine washable (size permitting). The company says they only use weaving houses committed to employing skilled adults, who are paid fairly and enjoy comfortable working conditions.

Located in Wales Braided Rug Company’s standard braided rugs are made from recycled plastics and washable at 30 degrees. The company says that these types of rugs are tough, machine washable, and soft underfoot. Also as they’re 100% plastic you can also use them outside and they won’t rot or mildew. If you’d prefer to stay away from all plastic goods then the Braided Rug Company also offers stunning braided organic jute rugs., which are accredited by the World Fair Trade Organisation and the National Fairtrade Network of Bangladesh. Although soft underfoot, Jute is durable, can be harvested up to three times a year and needs no pesticides to grow. It is also compostable too at the end of its life.

The Natural Rug Store in the UK sell rugs and runners made from a range of natural materials.

The Real Shetland Company offer rugs made from Shetland wool, woven in Yorkshire onto a jute backing. You can buy their rugs from UK etailer Adam Curtis.

Gudrun sjoden sells brightly coloured, natural fibre rugs, some organic. Their manufacturers are certified to standards such as GOTS, Fairtrade and STeP by OEKO-TEX.

Love Welcomes is a US brand with a base in the UK that sells welcome mats, made from old life vests by refugees living in the UK. They pay 150% above Living Wages per hour, and are certified by the Living Wages Foundation. In addition, each purchase also supports additional life skills training that they provide for free to the refugee women helping them assimilate in a new country and culture with financial, language and digital literacy classes. Our team spends ⅔ of the week making products and ⅓ of the week with these classes! All of this is factored into the price you pay for our products.

You can also source rugs from the following are e-tailers;

• The Ethical Superstore (UK – fairtrade rugs, some made with recycled cotton and wool)
• Traidcraft (UK – fairtrade rugs made from natural, organic or recycled materials)
• Maison Bengal (UK – fairtrade rugs in natural materials)
• Namaste (UK – fairtrade rugs made from natural materials, the sale of which also contributes to community initiatives where they’re made via the charity Goodweave)
• Chandni Chowk  (UK – fairtrade hand-woven veg dyed 100% wool fairtrade rugs)
• Ferm Living (Denmarks – rugs made from natural fibres)
• Goodweave are a charity working to eradicate child labour in the rug making industry. You can find agents for their rugs on their website.

I’ve written extensively about fabric in relation to clothing and you can read all about it in my articles on Sustainable Ethical Fibres and Fabrics. WhenI had to order upholstery fabric for my dining rooms I tried to source organic fabric but couldn’t find any in upholstery grade. Then I tried to source natural fibre fabric. Google was of limited use and all but one of the stores I visited didn’t stock 100% natural fibre upholstery fabric. The one that did was Murphy Sheehy in Montrose, Dublin 4. In fact they have quite a very decent offering of cotton and linen blend upholstery fabrics in a huge range of colours. I decided to opt for a washable cotton/linen fabric from Romo called Linara (see photo above), which had been certified as being free of toxins (OEKO-TEX standard).

Haines Collection in the UK sell remnants of designer upholstery fabric

Tinsmiths is a UK company that specialises in natural fibre fabric, some of which is upholstery grade and if you’re upholstering your own furniture, check out the Natural Upholstery Company who offers natural upholstery materials including wool batting, organic cotton batting and organic cotton ticking.

Chandni Chowk in the UK sell readymade Fairtrade hand-printed curtains , and Gudrun sjoden mentioned above sells printed natural fibre voile curtains, some of which are organic. But if you want to have your own made the following companies offer organic and natural fabrics by the metre.

• Organic Cotton (UK – organic fabric and thread)
• Green Fibres (UK – organic and natural fabrics and organic thread)
• My Fabrics (UK – organic and natural fabric)
• Dojo Eco (UK- organic fabric)
• Cotton Bee (Poland – printed organic fabric)

If none of these stock what you need try searching organic fabrics on Etsy

It’s hard to define what we mean by sustainable ethical furniture. Is it locally made from local materials? is it fairtrade? is it pre-loved? or made from recycled materials? I’ve decided to focus on pre-loved furniture – upcycled or restored – and furniture made from recycled materials. To see a list of retailers offering pieces that fit this bill check out my article Second Hand Stores in Ireland.

Before I leave the topic of furniture I want to mention the Big Bean Bag Company who do a range of UK made 100% cotton bean bags filled with compostable plant-based plastic and stitched with recycled thread.

Another quirky entry into this section is ‘rebirthed’ (their phrase not mine) pianos from Fox and Wolfe. Personally I just love their bold reimagining of these wonderful instruments.

I also want to give a shout out to Michael Murphy Furniture, who are one of the few furniture companies in Ireland that look for FSC certification on the furniture they stock. They also take away your old mattresses for recycling when you buy a new one with them.

When it comes to sustainable lighting you need to be looking at something that can take energy-efficient bulbs, allow bulbs to be changed (a lot of lower-end models don’t facilitate this) and be made of materials that are compostable and/or recyclable infinitely, like metal. Don’t assume that glass components on lamps are recyclable. The glass has a different chemical compostition and like Pyrex may not be recyclable.

Kathleen McCormack in Ireland makes beautiful woven lampshades out of willow as does fellow Irish basketweaver Cathy Hayden in Tramore who makes hers out of willow and bark.

Shady and the Lamp in Terenure, D6W makes bespoke shades from a range of fabrics including the clients own.

Steampunk Studio in Drumcondra, Dublin 9 make industrial light fittings to order from copper, glass containers and wood, some of which are salvaged.

Kopper Kreation makes lighting from reclaimed and recycled materials sourced from local scrapyards.

Copper Fish creates light fittings with copper and salvaged timber. They use  high-performance LED bulbs and their packaging is compostable card.

Re-luminate in Kildare makes bespoke light fitting from pretty much any item.

Mr Kite in Cork make cushion and lampshades from brightly coloured fabrics.

Jack Smith is a Dublin based woodturner creating the most stunning shades from this luscious material

Blue Marmalade (see image above) in the UK creates stunning lamp shades from recycled plastic. They also use water based eco-printing on recyclable cardboard packaging, create zero landfill waste during production and make in Britain for a low-carbon footprint.

The Cardboard Boutique in the UK makes mid-century inspired lighting from recycled and repurposed materials.

Owl Paper lamps in Portugal create beautiful etheral lamps in various animal shapes from paper.

Indi in Lithuania make impressive cradle-to-cradle certified lights from recycled paper, that look like concrete.

I don’t like clutter but a house completely devoid of a consciously curated selection of accessories is a hotel, not a home. As with other items in your home choose homeware that is locally made, useful, durable, made from natural or recycled materials, or compostable or infinitely recyclable at the end of its life. Fairtrade certified goods or those made by social enterprises are desirable too. Of course you’re not going to get something that ticks all those boxes so just shop consciously and do the best you can. Here are some companies to consider.

Kilkenny based Cushendale Woollen Mills create blankets from 100% wool, a large proportion of which is sourced from Irish sheep farmers.

Wild Atlantic Wood in Ireland makes very desirable wooden docking stations and soap dishes from locally sourced timber.

In my opinion nothing beats the beauty of woven baskets and those created by basketmakers in Ireland are absolutely first class. Not only are baskets repairable, they’re made by-hand without machinery and so low-energy, typically don’t involve any chemicals to treat the materials and are compostable at the end of their life. The link above is to a list of makers on the Irish Basketmakers Association’s Website.

If you like your baskets more colourful, check out the stunning collection from Dublin-based Sahara, who import baskets from artisans in sub-saharan Africa using naturally dyed elephant grass. The goal of the Ghana born owner is to pay artisans 50% of the profits from each sale.

Irish company Conscious Convert offer organic cotton cushions filled with feather or wool.

UK company Palava (see image above) make colourful duvet covers and cushions from offcuts from their dresses and are made in factories in Turkey, Romania, and Lithuania.

If you fancy something fluffier Devo Home in the Ukraine can give your hemp fur cushions and blankets.

Celtic and Co in the UK sells wool blankets and sheepskin rugs. Their rugs are handmade in Cornwall and use a by-product of the food industry that would otherwise go to waste. They use sustainable natural and organic fabrics and they aim to source as much as possible in the UK in order to keep their carbon footprint as low as possible. They recycle widely in the company and print all catalogues and promotional literature on FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified paper, and offer a Carbon Neutral delivery service.

We Make Good sell a beautiful collection of Irish designed and Irish made homeware pieces and are hands down my favourite place for homeware. Each piece is made by someone in Ireland that’s faced social challenge and may not be in a position to get employment in the general workforce.

Love Welcomes is a UK based social enterprise that supports refugees by sells their crafted wares. They also offer training and additional support to refugees in camps.

The Braided Rug Company (mentioned above) also offers a range of woven baskets made from organic jute.

The following are e-tailers of eco products that offer a range of natural, organic or fairtrade homeware goods.

• Dojo Eco (UK – accessories made from natural, organic or recycled materials)
• The Natural Collection (UK – recycled, organic or fairtrade accessories and furniture)
• The Ethical Superstore (UK – fairtrade accessories)
• Traidcraft (UK – fairtrade accessories)
• Maison Bengal (UK – fairtrade woven baskets)
• Namaste (UK – fairtrade furniture and accessories)
• Chandni Chowk (UK – fairtrade handprinted cushions)
• Planet Craft (UK – sells fairtrade homeware including leather pouffs, footstool and cowhides)

Written by Elaine, Revised by Nicola

PS – Given the season that it is this time in previous years I’ve written all about Hallowe’en including

• Sustainable-ish Hallowe’en Decorations, Costumes & Treats
• Sustainable-ish Hallowe’en Food & Table Decorations
• Scrumptious Hallowe’en Treats,
• Low-waste Hallowe’en Costumes for Kids,
• Hallowe’en Paper Masks for Kids,
• Hallowe’en Paper masks for Adults
• Do-able Hallowe’en Make-Up