Eco chic homes
Furnishing your home with cardboard furniture and cushions made from old shirts sounds like a suggestion from Blue Peter, but today's eco-friendly home products are bang on trend.
Oliver Heath, former presenter on TV's Changing Rooms, says eco-chic enthusiasts are leading a style revolution.
"Eco-friendly products are dumping their dull, ugly, worthy image so there's absolutely no need to compromise your sense of style just because you want a green home," he says.
Heath has founded EcoCentric, an online retail company which is full of design-led and affordable green goodies for the home from fluffy Bamboo towels, £9, to pure wool throws, £79.
Not only are specialist 'green' home shops and companies blossoming but the high street is also getting in on the ethical act.
So you don't need to dress in sackcloth and live without luxury to prove your eco credentials - stores like Habitat sell organic cotton towels, B&Q and The Pier have furniture made from sustainable wood and other chains are selling green and Fair Trade ranges.
Is it green?
- It's made using little energy or uses little energy like an eco light bulb.
- It's recycled or recyclable such as a cardboard chair.
- It comes from a sustainable, renewable source such as timber certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or a certified organic farming source for materials such as cotton.
Oliver Heath advises: "As well as style, look for pieces that have an interesting story attached to them whether it's the source or the maker. Eco furniture in recycled wood is full of character and appeal with its patina of age."
Super grass
Bamboo is cheap and eco-friendly - it grows three times as fast as other woods, releases 30% more oxygen than trees and requires little pesticide spray - so it's fast becoming a star player in green homeware.
Playengine has a television encased in hard bamboo, £349 and a home PC monitor from £217. Matching keyboards and mice are also available.
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