This article is a summary of the podcast conversation “23. Sustainable Interior Design is Made to Wear In, Not Out”. Listen to the full episode on Spotify podcasts or Apple podcasts, and go here for the relevant links mentioned in the podcast. Read on for the summarised topics from the episode.

Sustainable Interior Design is Made to Wear In, Not Out

Using healthy and sustainable materials in your interior design is an overlooked, yet important element in your daily living. In this episode, I’m chatting with Nadine Samwell from Eco Edition. She helps homeowners with better choices for healthy and sustainable materials for new builds and renovations. And it’s all with the aim of making it simpler and easier for you. She helps you understand what sustainable interior design means and talks about the myths around sustainable materials and home design.

Overview of the Conversation

Why sustainable interior design is overlooked

“because there’s a lot of conversation about making our homes run on renewables…and requirements water tanks and insulation….[therefore] the thing that people don’t think about is what are the materials that make up the home”

Myths of sustainable home design
- sustainable materials are always more expensive: “it’s often stated as an always fact, like there’s never any way around it. And I don’t think that’s true”. Egs of timber flooring
- Greenwashing: “The use of the colour green, we just now associate green means good and green means healthy, [but] it’s not always the case”.
- Sustainable Homes have a certain “look”: “the reality is it can look like anything that you want. Every style of home can be sustainably made. Everything from a Queenslander to a Victorian cottage to something that does look quite modern and quite sleek. You can be any type of interior style you want”

How good home designs can have a positive impact on your health and wellbeing
The value of planning for natural and biophilic elements in your home

Biophilia…we need to have this connection to nature and those natural materials give you that in a way that other materials don’t. So you just feel more grounded, more comfortable in your house.”

Eco-certification for better sustainability:

“…having an eco-label certification means you don’t need to think about any of those things. There is a cost to get it certified. For me, that little bit of extra money is peace of mind”

“the beautiful thing about natural materials is they change in age over time. So they develop these patinas or these sort of markings where the different…colors come out in a different way. All the color changes itself. And to me that just adds another layer of interest. It’s like an extra story.”

This episode of The ReNewy Living Podcast was recorded on Awabakal country. I wish to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land and waters in the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie region of New South Wales.

I hope you’re feeling more confident about doing better for our people and planet by taking a start where you live approach to living sustainably. If this episode has spurred you into action, please feel free to share the episode with your friends. It would mean the world to me!

Listen into the stories and voices of this story here at Spotify podcasts and here at Apple Podcasts… And you can also sign up to my regular emails here… I look forward to sharing more stories with you next time.

Sustainable Interior Design is Made to Wear In, Not Out (S3 Ep23)

Links from the Podcast Episode (S3 Ep23)

Eco Edition – Design inspiration and resources for homeowners who want to create their own sustainable and healthy home
Green Magazine (#affiliate) – Australia’s leading sustainable architecture & landscape design magazine
Sanctuary Magazine (#affiliate) – Australia’s best magazine for people looking to build and renovate sustainably.
Renew – transforming Australian homes for climate and energy resilience
What is Greenwashing? How to avoid greenwashing and make truly conscious choices in your renovation or new build
Eco Labels Explained – Think of eco labels as a shortcut to smarter, more conscious decisions, so you can stay aligned with your values & your timeline.