Simpler is better. Having watched trends for a while, I see that people are settling down a bit. Even if you check the expensive home design brands, you’ll see that they’re simplifying the shapes and concentrating on the materials and functionality.
That’s right – functionality – that’s another way to go green. Only a functional thing can be truly green. Formaldehyde chipboard (MDF) furniture is luckily going out of fashion as are the synthetic carpets in general.
Reused wood flooring is the thing to watch – it will get really big within the next few years. Not only it is a sustainable way, there are very few materials that look as good as old wood if it’s finished properly. At the moment reused wood is the cheapest green flooring available (not for long, though); cork flooring and natural carpets (jute, for example) are picking up the popularity points. Synthetic carpet sellers will struggle to remain in business in a long run.
An easy way to transform a potentially minimalistic and boring home design is lighting. Flexible light emitting capacitors (LEC), different light emitting diodes (LED) and the new economical light bulbs (they don’t get as hot as the incandescent bulbs) give the designers an unlimited space for their imagination. And they’re using it to the full throttle. We’ve never had so many wonderful lamps and lighting objects to choose from. Green and quirky lighting is one of the strongest green design trends in 2010.
The biggest change that awaits us is how we use energy. With the feed-in tariff scheme arriving in Britain, it is very likely that you’ll see more and more photovoltaic cells and wind turbines on the British roofs. If you’re asking if these sustainable trends can fit in smoothly with the exterior design, I think, yes. There is something very attractive about all that photovoltaic gadgetry, especially if you have the right attitude towards it.
Pics by:
1contemporary.com
isokonplus.com
johngreendesigns.co.uk
