How to Get Started with Vegan Design: 4 Tips from Experts!
The vegan lifestyle is more popular than ever. In terms of eating preferences alone, The US is home to one of the world’s largest vegan communities. The most popular reasons people commit to being vegan include health, animal protection, and environmental concerns.
However, in How to Make the Switch to a Non-Toxic and Cruelty-Free Home, we write that diet is just one part of a truly vegan lifestyle. Being vegan also means cutting out the use of any animal products in your life. For example, you can ensure your skincare products are Leaping Bunny-certified. In the kitchen, you can switch to plant-based cleaning liquids and sponges.
But that’s not all you can do. A great way to establish a vegan lifestyle is to ensure your home itself is vegan. That’s where vegan interior design can help. Our article What is Vegan Design? notes that this movement firmly believes that animal-derived products shouldn’t define luxury. Instead, you can achieve the same effect by decorating your home with only sustainable and organic items. However, it can be challenging to pull off if you don’t know where to begin.
Don’t worry—some tips from vegan design experts can kickstart your journey. Here are a few of them:
Tip #1: Use sustainable fabrics
The best-selling design book Sustainable Minimalism, featured on the subscription service Ever, points out that most of the popular fabrics used in interior design aren’t sustainable. Manufacturers exploit endangered forests to produce rayon. Animal fabrics aren’t cruelty-free. Our post 9 Toxic Chemicals to Avoid in Furniture notes that wool alone contains a ton of pesticides.
However, Sustainable Minimalism author and sustainable living educator Stephanie Seferian highlights polyester as the biggest culprit. It’s made from plastics that, after disposal, can harm marine life. So steer clear of these fabrics when remodeling your home after interior vegan design. Instead, try rugs, pillowcases, and couch covers made of organic ones like hemp, linen, and organic cotton.
Tip #2: Know what goes in your mattress
This tip applies to mattresses, sofa cushions, pillows, and anything else filled with stuffings for softness. Why? Many cushions use animal-derived materials. Take down stuffings: PETA notes they’re unethically sourced from ducks and geese living in close quarters, usually while they’re still alive. That’s why sustainable design expert Jecks Stone recommends using sustainable stuffings. If you’re revamping every part of your home, use cushions with stuffings made of buckwheat or organic cotton. The latter is an especially great choice. As we note in How to Choose the Best Mattress for Your Sleeping Style, it’s extremely breathable. However, it’s also strong enough to support your body while you sleep.
Tip #3: Try recycled and upcycled furniture
Looking to furnish your home the vegan way? Try recycled and upcycled furniture. They’re a great way to ensure you’re using items with a low environmental impact. That means they’ll least affect both animal life and their natural habitats. That’s exactly what interior design professional Lucy Henderson did when creating English presenter Jasmine Harman’s vegan home.
A great tip you can learn from the project is to hunt for furniture on sites like eBay. Here, you’ll find people selling everything from recycled plastic rugs to doors converted into stylish coffee tables. Just remember to be mindful of where your old furniture will go. Donating to organizations like Goodwill and the Furniture Bank Network can ensure your pieces get passed on, too!
Tip #4: Do your research on the tiniest details
Even if something looks vegan, that doesn’t necessarily mean it is. Paint definitely isn’t. Most paints use ingredients like casein and ox gall, both sourced from cows. Even furniture made from sustainable and organic materials may use animal-derived glue—or glue tested on animals. Interior architect Aline Dürr, author of the pioneering book Vegan Interior Design and organizer of the first-ever Vegan Interior Design Week in 2021, adds that there aren’t enough vegan certification companies to help consumers tell what products are truly vegan and what isn’t. That’s why it pays to do your research on the tiniest details. Always try to find out if every component of your new home contains vegan components.
Committing to a vegan lifestyle means changing not just your diet but how and where you live. Keep these expert tips in mind when you start your vegan interior design journey!
About the Author:
Lilly Ellis is a freelance writer who covers the rise of mainstream sustainability in today’s world. With her articles, she hopes to show people how easy it can be to live sustainably and make a difference in their own ways. In her free time, you’ll find her playing with her cats or helping out at her local community garden.
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FACT SOURCES
Citing Jecks Stone, founder of VeganDesign.org-certified business Persona Abode:
https://www.houzz.ie/magazine/meet-the-designers-creating-vegan-interiors-stsetivw- vs~172734126
2. Citing Lucy Henderson, head of design at My Bespoke Room and head of Jasmine Harman’s vegan home project: https://blog.mybespokeroom.com/jasmine-harmans- vegan-room-design
3. Citing the cow-derived ingredients in paint:
https://graphenstone-ecopaints.store/vegan- paint-what-is-it-and-are-there-really-animal-products-in-other-paints/
Other facts come directly from the article’s internal and external links.
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