Jul 17, 2011 Posted by Nick on Jul 17, 2011 in Decorating

Bamboo and Sustainable Interior Design

One of the preferred materials for green interior designers is bamboo. This is because bamboo is a great renewable resource. This post will look at the benefits of using bamboo in interior design and how bamboo makes a home more environmentally friendly.

There are over 1,400 different types of bamboo. They all grow incredibly quickly. In just 5 or 6 years bamboo is ready to harvest. It is a resource that can grow nearly anywhere. It is also a natural resource that doesn’t require polluting fertilizers and pesticides to grow. Moreover a stand of bamboo produces more oxygen than an equivalent stand of trees. All these facts make bamboo an ideal renewable resource.

Furthermore, bamboo is a very versatile material. It can be cut into thin strips and be made into vases, lamps and other household items. Another method is to compress bamboo to make strand woven bamboo that can be carved like wood.

In an interior it is often the flooring that uses the most hardwood. Unless it is reclaimed hardwood flooring or hardwood taken from a sustainable forestry project the wood is not environmentally friendly. The great forests of the world are disappearing at an alarming rate. It is only by finding alternatives to hardwood products that we can hope to save the forests that provide natural habitat and form part of the planet’s lungs, turning carbon into oxygen. One solution is to use strand woven bamboo flooring in a home.

Another common use of hardwood is to make furniture. This too can be made of bamboo instead. In the kitchen many things such as the cutting board, the steamer, serving bowls, spoons, place mats and knife blocks can be made from bamboo.

Bamboo is safe for food preparation - the color is not stained on bamboo and so does not go into the food. Also bamboo is naturally antibacterial and antimicrobial and so is an ideal material for the home where people suffer from allergies.

Finally, bamboo blinds and shades are a good window treatment and also good for outdoor areas such as patios and balconies. They improve insulation and for outside bamboo is good because bamboo is water resistant.

These are just a few of the ways that bamboo can be used in the home to make an interior more sustainable. As hardwood vanishes from the world more people will turn to bamboo as a green alternative.