If you're ready to roll up your sleeves and get stuck into a home renovation, this is a chance for you to earn your environmental accolades. You can show just how eco-friendly you are by thinking about every step of the process and employing a conscious approach instead. This may be easier said than done, admittedly, but a lot of this may also be common sense and help you to save some money. Where should you start with this project?

Focus of Attention

You should have two primary goals here. Firstly, you want to ensure that your home is "liveable" and will need to pay attention to air quality. Secondly, you should only use environmentally friendly materials, furnishings and fixtures if at all possible.

Natural Woods

Think about your major items of furniture, such as the sofa, dining room table, bed frame and so on. Try to choose solid wood like maple, oak or walnut instead of manufactured options. Sustainable hardwoods will rely on traditional joinery methods and not toxic glues, which can contain volatile compounds that can leach into the air.

Antiques Roadshow

You should become very familiar with your local antique store and browse in there regularly for some hidden gems. Older products may well have been created without modern chemicals or glues, and these items can provide a unique feel to your home to augment your style.

Hidden Dangers

Watch out for chemicals that are contained within textiles and upholstery as well, especially those that have been treated to make them flame retardant. These are particularly toxic and may do more damage to the occupants of the home than provide any level of security.

Water Paint

When you're painting the wall, choose products that are water-based instead and remember that the smell of paint is toxic. You'll be able to choose from an array of colours, and this is not going to blunt your style so don't worry.

Better Lighting

If at all possible, bring more light into your home by introducing energy-efficient windows. When the sun does finally go down, however, make sure that you have the latest LED bulbs or halogen alternatives that are more efficient at converting energy into light.

Natural Accents

Finally, choose those last-minute and decorative accents carefully and don't opt for expensive, "designer" products. Instead, walk along the beach and collect driftwood, beautiful shells or stones that can be equally as interesting in your living room.

Get in touch with a designer for more tips on how to handle your environmentally friendly home design.