We are all aware of the damage that ‘fast fashion’ is having on our environment, but have you considered how the world of interiors and homeware can sadly have a similar impact on the plight of our planet? Supermarkets now churn out interior trends next to their racks of clothing, selling products made cheaply so that we can ‘change up’ our homes as often as our outfits. The production of these fashion-led homewares is damaging in the same way as garment production, and they will unlikely be long-lasting fixtures in our homes as trends change or the poor quality means they wear out and get binned. How we decorate our homes needs to shift in the same way as our attitude to fashion must change, and this new book – Home for the Soul – demonstrates that it is possible to have a stunning interior whilst being considerate of our environment.
Authored by stylist and writer Sara Bird and photographed by Dan Duchars, Home for the Soul is bringing awareness to the things we must be more considerate of when planning and decorating our homes. The first section is looking at the elements – from the paint we use to the fabrics, furniture and lighting we select. There are a scattering of ‘Create your Own’ ideas for things like wall art, upcycling and decorative details, which also help to add a personal touch to your home.
Plants and vintage furniture and objects feature heavily, and personally I feel never go out of style! There are lots of ideas of how to utilise vintage finds in interesting ways and how to display your plants cleverly. Both of these elements provide more than just decoration – plants can give so much pleasure in terms of watching them grow, learning how to propagate etc, while hunting for vintage objects offers a much more exciting and involved shopping experience than simply clicking a ‘buy now’ button (unless you discover something great on eBay of course!)
The second section in the book focusses in on homes that have been created considerately, hearing directly from the owners about how they went about it. The overriding theme is ‘buy what you love, and make it last’, highlighting the idea that even if you are buying new, be sure that it is something that you will use and enjoy for many years and not just a matter of months. The book also demonstrates that a planet-friendly home doesn’t have to be minimal or sparse, it can be maximalist too, as long as you consider the ideas of reusing, recycling, repairing and buying second hand.
Packed full of Dan’s beautiful photography of many stunning homes, it publishes on the 22nd September although you can already pre-order your copy. It may just have you looking at your home in a very different way.
Home for the Soul by Sara Bird and Dan Duchars of the CONTENTed Nest, published by Ryland Peters & Small (£19.99)
Photography by Dan Duchars © Ryland Peters & Small
