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How to

Choose Furniture

for a Healthy Home

How to Choose Furniture for a Healthy Home

Is your favorite part of the day that moment when you walk into your house, close the door behind you and breathe in the sense of comfort that comes from being surrounded by your favorite people and things? That moment can be hard to top, especially when you fill your home with eco-friendly, beautiful decor. Fortunately, that’s easy to do when you choose the right furniture for your family. When you’re ready to turn your home into an oasis, a haven that is uniquely your own, picking out eco-friendly furniture that is beautiful, comfortable and in touch with your environmentally conscious values and lifestyle is a great place to start.

Let’s Get Started

Well-made eco-friendly furniture has the same look and feel as traditional home furnishings, so it’s easy to feel good about these earth-friendly choices. When you choose furniture sourced from environmentally friendly producers, you know you’re doing something good for the planet. As you’re shopping for any furniture items you need, look for sustainable furniture – possibly wood or grass pieces, such as teak or bamboo, that are polished to a soft luster with natural oils like tung oil or linseed oil, instead of being varnished. Consider upholstered pieces with natural padding and organic cotton or linen fabric exteriors. You aren’t limited to any one part of the house for this type of decorating! This type of environmentally friendly furniture is available for every room in the home, and also for outdoor areas.

Should I Stay or Should I Go? 

For furnishings that need to stay put, like a dining table, hutch, dresserbed or entertainment center, consider your flooring and the type of sliders on the furniture legs. Ideally, you want to be able to move large pieces when necessary for cleaning or redecorating, but they should stay put most of the time. These items can have slightly rubbery covers on the legs so they don’t slide too easily, keeping toes and children’s hands safe while they’re playing. On the other hand, you might also want furniture that’s easily movable, such as your dining chairsto slide easily on your flooring when you get up. So for items that you move frequently, using smooth, firm sliders is ideal.

What About Size and Weight?

Furniture is typically pretty sturdy and durable, and each piece is safe for people within certain weight ranges. Children’s furniture is the place you’ll find weight recommendations the most often, though in some cases the information is available for entire lines. When you’re shopping for furniture with safety as a main focus, it’s helpful to check for information on the weight rating and compare it to the weight of the heaviest person in your family. This ensures each member of your family stays safe and comfortable when taking a seat or stretching out for a nap.

An Eye for Quality Craftsmanship

It’s important to look for furniture that has a commitment to quality and craftsmanship. The quality should be built into each piece, so all you have to do is find the dining room, living room or bedroom furniture  that looks right in your home and fits your lifestyle. Choose the design element you want to draw out in each room, perhaps a color in your patterned rug or the style of your window treatments, and then pick sturdy furniture that plays on that element to make it really pop. This enhances the enjoyment and comfort you feel when you enter a room, and it turns your home into a safer, more beautiful place for enjoying the company of friends and family.

Function and Style

In addition to the furniture you sit and sleep on, you may want to opt for eco-friendly furniture that pulls double-duty as both decoration and storage, like sturdy bookcasesmedia centers and dressers. The construction and quality of these items are as important to your family’s safety as the quality of seating and sleeping spaces are. Make sure to anchor tall pieces to the wall for safety and store heavier items near the floor where children can’t pull them down.