My Three R’s

sustainability

Apr 14

Rearrange, Repurpose, Reach out

I have a book recommendation for you! “The Buy Nothing, Get Everything Plan.” You may have heard of “Buy Nothing” groups, or you may already belong to one in your neighborhood or local community. Have you read the book that explains the rationale and movement behind those groups? If not, I highly recommend it. It makes the “Buy Nothing” group and the actions you take within that framework so much more meaningful, and it has tons of tips for building community while reducing the strain we place on our planet’s resources. I truly LOVED this book.

There can be a lot of waste in interior design and renovation projects. I mean a LOT. To the point of being a bit nauseating. When I started my business, I made sustainability one of my core values. As the interior designer, I can influence the amount of waste produced in any given project, and I take that responsibility seriously.

I am a member of the Sustainable Furnishings Council and certified as a GREEN Accredited Professional, so I have gone through training on how to sustainably source and execute interior design projects and what to watch out for. This book really took my knowledge and understanding of how to practice sustainability in our homes and communities to the next level.

One of the main premises in the book is that we have the three R’s that everyone is familiar with: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. But have you ever thought about the order? Recycling is great, but it should really be our last resort, after reducing and reusing. Production of new products that are then recycled is still a huge drain on resources - both the production and recycling processes can have major inefficiencies and deficiencies. Instead, we should Reduce our consumption and Reuse items that already exist - this has an exponentially more favorable impact than buying something new and then recycling it.

The book has me really thinking creatively, evaluating what I’m doing today, and exploring if there’s more I can do or additional ways I can weave these practices in to our household and also into my business. I’ve landed on my own three R’s to use for guidance in each interior design project. Rearrange, Repurpose, and Reach Out.

Rearrange

Often times when I’m designing a space, I find that the items needed to bring the space together are already in the home. They just need to be rearranged a little bit! In my own home, you’ll regularly find me wandering around from room to room with a vase, plant, stool, side table, piece of art, etc., just tweaking what goes where to optimize each of the spaces. My husband makes fun of me, but hey, I’m not buying new stuff - I’m elevating what we already own! I do this for my clients as well: typically I can make recommendations in the initial consultation, but we also will revisit throughout the design process. Can we rearrange a space using what you already have, and make it better? The answer is frequently yes!

As an example, nothing new was purchased to style this little seating area with bookshelves. I assessed the inventory we had to work with, took everything out, including from other spaces in the home, and rearranged until it was balanced and struck the chord I wanted to strike.

Repurpose

This goes hand-in-hand with rearranging, but involves a creative twist. Before buying something new, think about what you need and why. Then survey what you already own. Can you adjust something you have, or use something differently than expected, in order to meet the need at hand? Can that old stool be used as a nightstand? Can your dining room buffet be used as a dresser? Can your serving bowl be used as Lego storage? The answer to all of these is yes: I know from experience :-)

One of my favorite things to repurpose are planters and baskets (sometimes as substitutes for each other!). In our kitchen, we keep cloth wipes handy at all times. I wanted a basket to corral them, but didn’t have one that I liked, so I used a planter. Also, I use my electric tea kettle every morning to make french press coffee, and I wanted to keep my coffee nearby. I thought about buying a pretty container meant for coffee, then realized I had, you guessed it, another planter! that would do just fine. Voila! More aesthetically appealing than coffee and cloth wipes out in the open, and I didn’t spend a dime.

Reach out

If you need something to finish a space, have you tried asking for it? You might be amazed at what your friends, family, neighbors, Buy Nothing groups, and local community have available that they don’t need and are willing to sell (or even just give) to you. In today’s world, many of us have a thought train that runs on a loop every time we need or want something for our homes: Identify Need or Want —> Find Online —> Purchase —> Arrives on Doorstep. We have been programmed and conditioned this way over time, and in many cases have forgotten the simple art of asking a neighbor/ friend/ family for the things we need. It wasn’t that long ago (or I like to think it wasn’t that long ;-)) when I lived in a college dorm, my computer was only turned on when I was doing school work, and my mobile phone was only for phone calls. If my dorm-mates or I needed something, anything, we just asked each other. Hair dryer, make-up, laundry detergent, clothes, shoes, dry erase markers, binder clips, magazines, cable television, art supplies, party supplies, snacks, coffee maker, a ride to the airport, a wake-up call…. you get the idea. Some things were shared, some were lent, some were freely given, and 2-day shipping wasn’t in the equation. Everyone’s needs were met. This - to me - is a dream economic model. And it’s sustainable! Let’s bring back some elements to our households and neighborhoods.

In this kid’s bedroom, the nightstand is a hand-me down, the pillows were pulled from other spaces, the poster is in a thrifted frame with a painted mat, and the bed frame is from Facebook Marketplace. Next time you need or want something, reach out and source from your community. It’s a win-win-win: we get what we need at reasonable price (or free), the prior owner gets an unwanted item out of their home, and we all benefit from the item not heading for the landfill.