How I Furnished My Home Sustainably
The home furniture industry can be just as harmful as the fast fashion industry - with more people relocating than ever, brands like Home Goods and Wayfair create ultra cheap, trendy furniture that is made to break in a short amount of time. This concept is known as fast furniture, and it’s part of the reason why furniture waste has increased 450% since the 1960s. Our culture has really leaned into disposability over the last 100 years, and it has become normal to bring items into our lives with no intentions of keeping them forever.
If we want to shift our culture to be more inherently sustainable, it needs to start at home. For many of us, our homes are sacred. They are the places we (hopefully) are able to deeply rest, recharge, and spend most of our time. To me, a home always feel like a true reflection of the person who lives there and the values that they hold close, so it’s always been important to curate my home with love and intention. Just like clothing, there has been so much overproduction of furniture for the last several decades, so there is already enough furniture in existence to supply most people who need it. So before you go and look for new furniture, even if it is from a sustainable brand, always check secondhand furniture shops first. I’ve included several secondhand furniture options below in this blog post, along with some other ethical brands that I bought from to furnish my apartment. Let’s dive in!
I checked secondhand and vintage stores religiously and shared items with my community
I got this Mid-century modern granite dining table off of Facebook marketplace for $200 - it was listed for $800 brand new. FB Marketplace, Kaiyo, and OfferUp are all great secondhand furniture marketplaces!
This vintage 1920s lotus flower lamp is my fav. I also got this on Facebook Marketplace.
I’m in love with this vintage IKEA glass top desk. I also got this (and the orange chair) on Facebook Marketplace!
I got this vintage mid-century modern style chair from one of my neighbors’ sons after she passed away. It’s always a good idea to share/barter with your neighbors!
2. Anything I couldn’t find secondhand, I purchased from a small, ethical, and slow production businesses
I was gifted this beautiful 3-D printed lamp from Wooj, an ethical lighting brand based in Brooklyn. You can check it out here!
This couch is from the sustainable furniture brand Sabai Design - they have their own slow production house in which they make all of their pieces in the United States, and this velvet couch is made out of 100% recycled plastic bottles! Sabai centers sustainability from every aspect of their business and this couch is so comfy and easy to clean.
My favorite lamps in the world are from Noguchi. They are all made out of Japanese rice paper and put out the most beautiful glow.
3. I purchased from local artists
This art speaks to my soul, I love it so much! These are both made by my favorite artist right now, Paulo Pastel.
This mirror was handmade in Los Angeles by Noni!
4. I went to my local plant shop
It’s so important to support your local small plant shops instead of going to a big box store like Home Depot or Lowes! My favorite place to buy plants in LA is called Sunset Nursery in Silverlake.
At the end of the day, wherever you choose to buy furniture from - taking care of it and making it last as long as possible is the best way to reduce waste and engage in sustainability! And when it’s time to get rid of furniture, put it out on the street for someone else to pick up, give it to friends or family, or resell it on Facebook Marketplace before you ever throw it away!