Why buying vintage furniture is a green choice

Apart from not having to make your own IKEA flat pack wardrobe ever again, here’s why buying vintage furniture is not just a great choice but also a green one.

In this weekends Guardian there was an article on how to give yourself a green makeover, with 50 expert tips on cutting waste, up-cycling and letting a lot more nature into your life. Just the kind of article I love to read to make sure I’m doing my bit to make my world as green as possible.

Part of the article was about being green on the home front and included reducing your washing, cleaning with Castile soap (something I am going to try!), creating clean air with more houseplants and buying vintage furniture!

The article mentioned that “secondhand items come with interesting stories and force you to think creatively and give you something far more unique”, which I totally agree with. But what are the benefits of buying vintage furniture?

Environmentally friendly
To start with you are preventing furniture from going to landfill. Bulky items, such as sofa’s, beds, wardrobes are still not recycled and end up in landfill, which is heartbreaking. Also vintage furniture will have finished releasing the toxic fumes present in the finishing and glues, which means less pollutants and toxins in the home.

Creating a unique interior
Whether the piece you buy is 20 or 100 years old, buying vintage, retro and antique furniture means you can create a unique and individual style, not one that a major furniture brand such as IKEA has put together for you. Like with fashion, styling your home in your chosen way is another form or expressing who you are. Whether you mix pieces from different eras, re-create an interior in the mid-century style or mix old and new it will be an individual look!

Craftsmanship
There is a reason why the vintage furniture is still around today - because it was beautiful crafted and built to last. Even though there were brands back in the 60’s that were seen as the budget brands, the furniture was still designed and put together with the intention of it lasting the user and not being thrown away in 5 years time. Often solid wood, rather than ply was used. Dove tail joints, rather than glue. You can see the workmanship in it - take a look the next time you find a vintage piece.

So whether you choose to buy one piece of vintage furniture or furnish you whole home in it, you will be doing your bit to choose a sustainable way of creating a greener home.