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Sustainable Design

Welcome to the Of Houses and Trees sustainable design archives. Here you’ll find posts on green architecture, environmentally-friendly interior design and eco-conscious decor.

What on earth is sustainable design?

Sustainable Design is an often used – but not necessarily understood – term. And it’s one of those terms that can have a very simple explanation, or a very complex one.

At it’s root, sustainable design is a process that considers how a building, product or service will impact the planet and all who live here. From the tiniest microorganism to the tallest tree. And of course, people like you and I.

In order for something to be truly sustainable, we have to consider how it will effect the environment in every stage of its existence. From its conceptualization, to its production, to what it becomes at the end of its life cycle.

A few important sustainable design principles include using materials that are renewable and have a low environmental impact. Employing manufacturing processes that use less energy and create less waste. And designing buildings and products so their parts can be reused or recycled when they outlive their original purpose.

Sounds like a lot of work, you say?

Well, it kind of is. But only if you look at it the way most of us have been taught to see the world. As something that belongs to us instead of something we are a part of.

As Canadian activist and writer Peter Denton puts it, “Good people make bad choices because they don’t think enough (or at all) about what they are choosing.”

Sustainable design is about making better choices in the things we build and the things we create.

Of Houses and Trees focuses on the things we as individuals can do to help sustainable design become the norm. From the homes we buy and build to the furniture and decor we put in them, together we can make better choices.

10 Simple Eco-Friendly DIY Projects for Your Home

10 Simple Eco-Friendly DIY Projects for Your Home

June 11, 2018June 11, 2020Sustainable Design
How to Buy Eco-Friendly Laminate Flooring

How to Buy Eco-Friendly Laminate Flooring

May 19, 2018July 14, 2019Sustainable Design
How To Make a Simple Paper Orb From Old Book Pages

How To Make a Simple Paper Orb From Old Book Pages

April 9, 2018June 11, 2020Sustainable Design
Can You Afford an Eco-Friendly Home? Yes!

Can You Afford an Eco-Friendly Home? Yes!

April 2, 2018September 28, 2020Sustainable Design
How to Stage Your Home for Sale – The Eco-Friendly Way

How to Stage Your Home for Sale – The Eco-Friendly Way

March 6, 2018January 24, 2019Sustainable Design
How to Create and Print a Design Board Using Pinterest

How to Create and Print a Design Board Using Pinterest

January 21, 2018December 9, 2020Sustainable Design
Nature Inspired Holiday Decor + Holiday Home Tour

Nature Inspired Holiday Decor + Holiday Home Tour

December 23, 2017December 14, 2018Sustainable Design
Mason Jar Snow Globe

Mason Jar Snow Globe

December 10, 2017June 11, 2020Sustainable Design
How to Tape Out Your New Home’s Floor Plan + Our House in the Trees Update

How to Tape Out Your New Home’s Floor Plan + Our House in the Trees Update

November 20, 2017July 22, 2019Our House in the Trees, Sustainable Design
Outdoor Home Staging Tips + Our House in the Trees Update

Outdoor Home Staging Tips + Our House in the Trees Update

October 15, 2017January 24, 2019Sustainable Design
Eco-Friendly Lighting and Accessories

Eco-Friendly Lighting and Accessories

October 8, 2017December 4, 2018Sustainable Design, Sustainable Products
Eco-Friendly Building Material Magnesium Oxide Board

Eco-Friendly Building Material Magnesium Oxide Board

August 20, 2017March 29, 2020Sustainable Design
Poetry Artwork with text from The Lorax

Poetry Artwork with text from The Lorax

July 18, 2017June 11, 2020Sustainable Design
5 of Canada’s Most Sustainable Buildings

5 of Canada’s Most Sustainable Buildings

July 1, 2017July 14, 2019Sustainable Design
3 Small Home Library Ideas

3 Small Home Library Ideas

May 22, 2017December 4, 2018Sustainable Design
Eco-Friendly Outdoor Decor

Eco-Friendly Outdoor Decor

May 3, 2017April 5, 2020Sustainable Design, Sustainable Products
Yellow and Grey Toddler Bedroom

Yellow and Grey Toddler Bedroom

April 19, 2017June 11, 2020Sustainable Design
Your Top 5 Favourite Posts

Your Top 5 Favourite Posts

March 31, 2017February 6, 2019Sustainable Design
What’s Your Home Decor Style

What’s Your Home Decor Style

March 12, 2017July 22, 2019Sustainable Design
Yellow Tree Dresser

Yellow Tree Dresser

September 6, 2016June 11, 2020Sustainable Design
5 Pinterest Projects I Actually Plan on Doing

5 Pinterest Projects I Actually Plan on Doing

June 27, 2016July 22, 2019Sustainable Design
Love Arrow Sign – Handpainted During Labour!

Love Arrow Sign – Handpainted During Labour!

May 26, 2016June 11, 2020Sustainable Design
Neutral Soft Green and Beige Baby Bedroom

Neutral Soft Green and Beige Baby Bedroom

April 30, 2016June 11, 2020Sustainable Design
Much Ado About Edison Lightbulbs

Much Ado About Edison Lightbulbs

April 23, 2016July 21, 2019Sustainable Design
How to Make Vintage-Inspired Mounted Key Art

How to Make Vintage-Inspired Mounted Key Art

April 17, 2016June 11, 2020Sustainable Design
Holiday Home Tour

Holiday Home Tour

December 23, 2015December 28, 2020Sustainable Design
Beautiful Grey and White Antique Chair with a Modern Vibe

Beautiful Grey and White Antique Chair with a Modern Vibe

December 3, 2015June 11, 2020Sustainable Design
The Architecture of American Houses

The Architecture of American Houses

August 26, 2015July 21, 2019Sustainable Design
Living Room Design Board

Living Room Design Board

August 11, 2015December 28, 2020Our House in the Trees, Sustainable Design
The Town with the Painted Past

The Town with the Painted Past

April 1, 2015January 7, 2020Sustainable Design
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Hi! I'm Larissa About Larissa

Former architectural technologist. Current treehugger.

I'm here to help you green your home - and your life.

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Here are a just a few eco-conscious items I own and love. Visit the Sustainable Products page for more!

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Recent Posts
  • One of the easiest ways to start living a greener life is to quit fast fashion - and start supporting these 40 sustainable clothing companies!40 Sustainable Clothing Brands That Will Help You Green Your Closet
  • Why exactly is bamboo clothing such a sustainable option? I'm so glad you asked! Here are five reasons why you need to start buying bamboo.5 Reasons Why You Need To Buy Bamboo Clothing
  • Want to create a lovely, calm space this holiday season? Here are three tips for incorporating simple and sustainable Christmas decor in your living room.3 Simple + Sustainable Christmas Decor Ideas for Your Living Room
  • Plastic-free and made by awesome, earth-friendly individuals and brands, you can find zero waste gifts for every person on your shopping list!Zero Waste Gift Ideas Even Non-Treehuggers Will Love
  • If you're also looking for inexpensive garden beds ideas - building wooden raised garden beds from old materials is about as budget-friendly as you can get.Wooden Raised Garden Beds + Organic Vegetable Gardening | Our House in the Trees | Episode 9
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  • Love the look of bohemian bedroom decor, but need a little guidance pulling it all together? Check out this boho bedroom shopping guide - featuring eco-conscious items from ethical marketplace Made Trade!
    Boho Bedroom Shopping Guide
  • What's an eco-conscious kitchen without an energy efficient fridge? Here are five of the most efficient Energy Star rated refrigerators out there!
    5 of the Most Energy Efficient Refrigerators
  • A tutorial illustrating how to create an interior design board using Pinterest, along with instructions on how to print a Pinterest board.
    How to Create and Print a Design Board Using Pinterest
  • Vegan Bedding by Of Houses and Trees | What goes into collecting the down or silk used for duvet fill? The story isn't pretty, but thankfully vegan bedding is a readily available option.
    Cruelty-Free Duvet Options
  • Prefer an old fashioned wood rocker to an oversized glider for your nursery? Learn how to make an easy DIY rocking chair cushion out of quilt batting.
    How to Make an Easy DIY Rocking Chair Cushion
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Buying clothing made from sustainable resources li Buying clothing made from sustainable resources like bamboo is one way to tell retailers, brands and manufacturers that we want eco-conscious choices and we want them now. ⁣
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If you’re wondering where to find clothing made from bamboo – you don’t have to look far. While most traditional retailers primarily sell clothing made from plastic-based fabrics such as polyester or non-organic cotton, there are many innovative bamboo clothing brands you can find online.⁣
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One such bamboo clothing company is @bamigo_official. Bamigo carries handmade bamboo clothing for men, such as bamboo underwear, t-shirts, hoodies, bathrobes – even bamboo socks!⁣
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If you’d like to learn more about why bamboo is such a sustainable option for clothing, you can find more info on Bamigo's site -> https://bamigo.com 🌱🌎Image Credit: Bamigo
Why exactly is bamboo clothing such a sustainable Why exactly is bamboo clothing such a sustainable option? ⁣
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I'm so glad you asked! ⁣
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🌱 Reason No. 1: Bamboo Is the Fastest Growing Plant on Earth⁣
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🌱 Reason No. 2: Bamboo Needs Less Water⁣
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🌱 Reason No. 3: Bamboo Absorbs More Carbon⁣
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🌱 Reason No. 4: Bamboo is Naturally Antibacterial⁣
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🌱 Reason No. 5: Bamboo Clothing Brands Are Everywhere⁣
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To read more about the wonders of bamboo clothing head on over to Of Houses and Trees -> https://ofhousesandtrees.com/bamboo-clothing/ 🌎💚
It's no secret I like to keep my decor relatively It's no secret I like to keep my decor relatively simple. And though the holiday season does amp me up a bit, I try not to let the I-must-have-all-the-things-and-do-all-the-things spirit completely take me over.⁣
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I find that one of the best ways to manage the frenetic holiday energy is to keep my seasonal decorating quite minimal. I also tend to put up the majority of our Christmas decor in the living room instead of all over the house.⁣
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Keeping our decorations mostly contained to one space means both putting up and taking down our holiday decor is a much quicker process. Which leaves more time for the things that matter - namely family, gratitude and eating lots and lots of cookies.⁣
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I wanted to offer you three Christmas decor ideas for easily creating an eco-conscious living space this holiday season. There's no need to decorate until you drop. Instead combine handmade, nature-inspired and thrifted items that will bring you and your loved ones joy without creating a huge impact on our beautiful planet.⁣
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Visit Of Houses and Trees to read all about my simple, eco-friendly Christmas decor ideas! Link in bio. 🎄💚
Have you finished putting up your holiday decorati Have you finished putting up your holiday decorations yet?⁣
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It seems like so many of the houses where I live were really on top of their decorating this year. It's no surprise that people want this year in particular to feel extra special - especially as we're likely facing restrictions regarding Christmas gatherings.⁣
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One thing the magic of the internet brings us is the ability to see inside each other's homes even when we can't physically be together. I love seeing how everyone decorates (or doesn't!) for Christmas. As I always say, I couldn't care less about gossip, but when it comes to people's homes - I'm pretty nosy 😜⁣
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But it goes both ways - and to show you that my latest post over on Of Houses and Trees features a #decoratewithme video as well as three tips for using simple, sustainable holiday decor in you living room. ⁣
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I welcome you to be nosy! Link in bio. 🌎🌲
Feeling honoured to be included on this list of fe Feeling honoured to be included on this list of female bloggers by @ladybossblogger!⁣
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To learn more about the other bloggers from niches like business, health, travel and feminism - visit the Lady Boss Blogger website -> https://ladybossblogger.com/compelling-female-bloggers 💚
Image Credit: ZeroWasteMVMT⁣ ⁣ Christmas and p Image Credit: ZeroWasteMVMT⁣
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Christmas and plastic seem to go hand in hand... but they don't have to! ⁣
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There are actually a ton of plastic-free gift options out there - you just have to know where to look.⁣
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I suggest searching on @Etsy. Not only is there a large selection of plastic-free gifts, many of them are handmade by small business owners who could really use our support right about now.⁣
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A few of my fave zero-waste gift shops... ZeroWasteMVMT, @battlegreenbox, @elliesecoshop_, @handmadebyavo, @marsi.naturals, @farmersdaughtersk, slowli, @ecobooshop, @willowsmarketplace, @jungleculture.eco, @youenjoymygoods and @holdenhearst. All featured in my latest blogpost -> ofhousesandtrees.com/zero-waste-gifts 🎁💚
You’re a treehugger. In your daily life, you avo You’re a treehugger. In your daily life, you avoid plastic packaging, wear thrifted threads and support eco-conscious businesses whenever you can.⁣
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Yet every year as the holiday season approaches, you fill with low-level dread. It’s time to buy you friends and family gifts – but they aren’t treehuggers like you. They’re all normal and stuff.⁣
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How can you give them something they’ll love, that’s also gentle to the planet?⁣
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Enter zero waste gifts.⁣
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Plastic-free and made by awesome, earth-friendly individuals and brands, you can find zero waste gifts for every person on your shopping list.⁣
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Food lover? Bath lover? Beauty lover? Or just a general lover of receiving thoughtful gifts?⁣
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Check out twelve zero waste gift ideas in my latest blog post over on Of Houses and Trees -> ofhousesandtrees.com/zero-waste-gifts 🌲🎁
If you're in the #christmasdiy spirit - you are no If you're in the #christmasdiy spirit - you are not alone!⁣
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DIYs are already up because of the pandemic. Plus it seems everyone wants to make this Christmas extra special. And sometimes that means making your home feel extra homey.⁣
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I wanted to reshare a really simple Christmas tree sign I made a couple of years ago. You can either download and use the graphic I created, or create your own using a free tool like Canva.⁣
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Full tutorial over on Of Houses and Trees -> ofhousesandtrees.com/christmas-tree-sign/ 🌲
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