Kelly's Healthy Home

I find myself browsing online for pieces of furniture I want, need, or dream about having in our home on a regular basis. But I have a constant battle in my head about 1. do I really NEED it 2. what is it made of and where was it produced 3. I don’t want to support more production, waste, etc.- so ultimately I don’t buy anything. I often have this same struggle with grocery shopping, which I’ll likely blog about at a later date.

I love beautifully decorated homes and design. This is partially why I love being a Realtor! But I can’t bring myself to buy much of the designs I love because of the price or my internal battle.

All this said, I do have furniture in my home.

When shopping, I’ve come up with a few thing to consider before taking the leap.

1. What is it made of? Lean towards solid, natural materials to reduce toxicity in your home.
2. Where is it manufactured? The less shipping = better for the environment.
3. Check out consignment shops for quality built pieces instead of large department stores. You can always paint and change out knobs to update the piece to your space and style.
4. Less is more- every wall and corner does not need to be filled. Maybe you don’t actually need that piece after all!
5. Invest in companies that have certified their materials and enforce fair trade practices.
6. Reclaimed materials are better than new- visit etsy and support small business’s!

Here is some inspiration:

The dining table and chairs are second hand from Facebook marketplace, the buffet is an upcycled solid wood piece by a local woman and the shelving is reclaimed wood stained to match the buffet top.

Again, the main idea when buying anything is to be deliberate and purposeful. This is part of living consciously!