The Home Front: Thinking sustainably about dorm room decor

Credit to Author: rebeccakeillor| Date: Sat, 07 Sep 2019 12:36:03 +0000

There is a growing movement in home decor and furnishings away from disposable consumerism and toward more sustainable thinking. Young people, it seems, are leading the charge on this, says decorator and HomeSense PR and social media manager Tamara Robbins Griffith.

Outfitting your dorm room can be a great place to start.

“You’re not buying everything when you’re in a dorm because it’s a small space and it’s often shared, but you can buy things you love that are also good quality and take them with you as you continue on in your life and continue to build a home,” she says.

There are some simple, sustainably minded choices you can make in outfitting your dorm that will set good habits for life, Robbins Griffith says, such as investing in food storage containers so you can prepare your own food and take it with you, to keep leftovers and to use to carry takeout.

Choose items for your dorm room that you can imagine using in your first apartment (small bar fridge etc) Photo: Ikea for The Home Front: Thinking sustainably about dorm room decor by Rebecca Keillor [PNG Merlin Archive] daniel wester / PNG

Choosing a great coffee thermos in a design you love will also inspire you to use it, and avoid the waste generated by takeaway coffee cups, she says. Better yet, she says, choosing a small coffee-maker for your dorm room with some funky coffee cups will stop you running out to Starbucks every five minutes.

She says organic bedding is something HomeSense customers in general are asking for more and more, and this is something young people can opt for when outfitting their dorms. A lot of dorm rooms don’t have space for extra furniture, but bedding is one area where students can have fun experimenting with their sense of style and creativity.

Choosing a fun throw cushion with a removable cover is a great investment if you’re wanting to keep it for years to come, she says.

Bedding made from organic materials are now available at retailers like HomeSense making them more affordable for students Photo: HomeSense for The Home Front: Thinking sustainably about dorm room decor by Rebecca Keillor [PNG Merlin Archive] PNG

Investing in window coverings will cut down on energy use (air conditioning or heating) and LED lighting choices are also more eco friendly.

Eco-friendly home products like beeswax wraps, natural cleaning products and dryer balls are now available at retailers like HomeSense, Robbins Griffith says.

“I’m a huge fan of dryer balls. I love them, especially the wool ones. They work so well, last forever and it’s like, why would you bother with chemical fabric softeners?” she says.

Laundry may not be top of mind for university students, she says, and for many, it might be the first time they’re doing their own laundry. Making sustainable choices early on, then, sets a good practice for the rest of their lives.

Robbins Griffith says plants are another great eco-friendly choice for dorm rooms.

“Plants clean the air, make you feel good about your space and can bring personality. Find some cute planters that speak to your personal style and snap up a few plants and that’s obviously the better choice than chemical air fresheners.”

A recent back-to-school surveyIkea conducted found that 80 per cent of the students who responded indicated that they wanted to “change the world”. Choosing affordable, multi-purpose and sustainable products for their dorms is a good place to start, says Kristin Newbigging, PR manager for Ikea Canada.

“We want to help customers love and keep their products longer and for students, we recommend modular products that can move and adapt with them. Multi-purpose products that can save space and products which you can personalize over the years, such as wood that can be painted or stained or sofas and chairs with removable covers,” she says.

LED lamps are a more sustainable option when outfitting a dorm. Photo: Ikea for The Home Front: Thinking sustainably about dorm room decor by Rebecca Keillor [PNG Merlin Archive] PNG

IKEA is committed to becoming a fully circular business by 2030, Newbigging says.

“This means transforming the current linear business model and designing products with re-use, repair, repurposing and recycling in mind from the beginning, using only renewable, recycled and recyclable materials, eliminating waste and introducing services like Sell-Back, which connect with customers in new ways to extend the life of product.”

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