As conversations around sustainability become increasingly commonplace for interior designers, the focus is expanding to include not just eco-friendly materials but ways to reduce waste — be it through reclamation, donation or designing for longevity.
The topic will be especially visible this month as Oxfam’s Second Hand September initiative once again puts reuse front and centre, Zero Waste Week runs from 7-11 September, and Focus/26 at Design Centre Chelsea Harbour (14-18 Sept) includes a panel discussion titled, ‘Designed to Last: Circular Thinking for Creative Interiors,’ which will dive into clever reuse of materials, responsible production and designing for enduring style.
It’s a crucial topic when you consider that the construction and demolition sector accounts for ~60% of total waste by weight in the UK and 22M pieces of furniture are thrown away each year — 20% of which were suitable for reuse. The problem is equally grave in the United States. “We throw away enough furniture in the U.S. each year to furnish one-bedroom apartments for about 8.8 million people,” says Kathryn Soter, executive director of the Good Future Design Alliance, which aims to arm designers with the knowledge and tools to work more sustainably.
Circularity begins well before anything is discarded, when designers choose architectural and decorative elements meant to last. That means considering not just durability but also stylistic endurance. “We like to design kitchens that aren’t tied too closely to a particular moment in time,” says Amanda Flood, associate director of interior design at Ben Pentreath Studio. The firm favours classic materials such as honed Carrara marble or Belgian blue slate while avoiding heavily veined stone or the overuse of LED strip lighting. When time cues do come in, they tend to pick and lane and stick to it, whether that’s with historic or contemporary finishes. “The middle ground between the two rarely ages well,” she notes.
Sustainability in this view is about designing a room that clients still want to live in for the next twenty or thirty years, rather than one they're likely to rip out in ten. Designer Max Sinsteden notes that investing in quality and artisanal workmanship becomes paramount. “I would hope my contribution to sustainability in this realm is providing clients with interiors that don’t call for or necessitate change for a generation,” he says.
Lonika Chande takes a similarly long view of materials, particularly natural stone flooring and worktops, which she values for the gentle, lived-in character they develop over time. “We also use a lot of vintage furniture and reclaimed materials. It’s about creating spaces that will feel good over the years, rather than a design that will date quickly,” she says.
Designer Meta Coleman regularly refurbishes a client’s existing pieces and points out that reusing materials can guide the direction of a renovation project in serendipitous ways. “It affects our approach that we have some limitations, but I believe limitations are good for creativity,” she says. Designer Nicholas Potts agrees: “Historic buildings were often adventurous, and trying to be 'safe' with color or material as some sort of generic default is, to us, disingenuous to doing work that respects the original designer,” he says.
In renovating a 1930s residence in New York’s Rockefeller Apartments building, he refurbished a bathroom’s original fixtures and fittings and then paired them with a vibrant handcrafted tile from Heath. “Although the red color might superficially seem to be about contrasting the old with something more contemporary, the inspiration actually came from the building itself and the original color schemes in the public hall,” he explains.
To that end, when “new” does cross the threshold, it behooves you to be aware of what you’re sourcing. “Clients are more conscious of sustainability, even if their interest varies in depth,” says designer Elizabeth Hay, who has offices in the UK and Singapore. “Many want to know where materials are sourced, how durable they are, and what their long-term impact might be.”
Mary Graham and Nicole Salvesen of Salvesen Graham also make a point of specifying from makers who value craftsmanship and responsible production. “We used to ask clients if they wanted to consider sustainable options for their homes and now it is just a core part of what we do,” they explain. “We also love to reuse vintage or antique pieces in these rooms, which adds charm while reducing waste.”
With waste reduction increasingly becoming part of the brief, designers are getting more support in avoiding trips to the landfill. The British Institute of Interior Design’s Code of Conduct, updated in April, now asks members to consider whole-life cycles, waste management and supply-chain impacts; UK Interior Design Declares offers tools including a supplier questionnaire; and this fall, the GFDA is launching a Low Impact Design Guide series, which Soter says will break sustainable residential design into approachable, actionable strategies around three key principles: reducing carbon pollution, lowering waste and designing healthier, lower-toxin homes.
In the meantime, consider the 5 Rs on your next project: Retain, Restore, Reuse, Repurpose, Recycle. “In other words, make the dumpster the last resort, not the first!” says Soter, noting that the simplest way is to walk through a project and ask, in this order: Can it stay? Can it be improved? Can it serve somewhere — or someone — else? “That simple shift in thinking can change what gets demolished, what gets specified, and ultimately how much waste the project generates.” When you consider how many millions of homes get remodeled every year, those individual decisions have the power to make a real impact.
Photos: Courtesy Ben Pentreath Studio; Max Kim-Bee, courtesy Max Sinsteden; Courtesy Lonika Chande; Chaunte Vaughn, courtesy Meta Coleman; Adrian Gaut, courtesy Nicholas Potts; Courtesy Elizabeth Hay Design; Christopher Horwood, courtesy Salvesen Graham;