It's all about practicality

It's been a long time...I shouldn't have left you, without a dope beat to step to. Ok, in all seriousness, life is busy and full of everyday routine and crazy adventures. I have been engaging in both! One of my passions as an interior designer is educating my clients and students. I love empowering people to make small and practical changes to their lives one step at a time; leading to a design they love and enjoy both at home and in the places they work and play. In all my posts I try to focus on practical aspects of design that you can discover and do little by little.

In September, people are coming off the summer high and preparing for the crisp season of fall. Fall is the opportunity to do things in your home preparing for your winter hibernation, well at least in Cleveland, OH, but also bonding with your family and friends outside before it becomes a chilly afterthought. Few may know that on September 16 is International day for the preservation of the ozone layer. This got me thinking, how are people practically sustainable these days. When most people think about sustainability they think about recycling cans and plastic bottles, not using as much paper to save one more tree and even saving energy by not keeping on so many lights in your home. Often times people cringe at the thought or word of sustainability, because the stigma has been created that it’s a lot of work or too hard. To the contrary, sustainability is quite easy but just requires thoughtfulness. True sustainability is achieved overtime like anything else great in life. The ability to grow in conscientiousness about how you approach the average everyday tasks of life can lead to an overall very sustainable life.

If you start off with recycling that is great! Sustainability can be achieved in every area of your life, because in actuality the true definition of sustainability factors in all areas of life; economics, environment and community. I began to understand sustainability on a greater level in my training and schooling for interior design. As I began to study for my LEED Certification exam, the light bulb really clicked, this is a life journey, not a charitable event. The triple bottom line, as the USGBC calls it, factors in People (social capital), Planet (natural capital) and Profit (economic capital). Learning how all my decisions as a designer factored into a more sustainable space and environment gave me a passion to try and pass that information on to my clients. There are so many ways to adopt sustainability in practice ways. Join me as I dive into three practical ways to have a sustainable mindset about design: Purchasing local, Upcycling and lighting. Join me on my social media (Instagram, Facebook and Twitter) to get easy and practical tips to incorporating sustainability into your home and office interior design needs.