Green Living
10 Best Places to Source Ethical and Eco-Friendly Home Decor
Curating a conscious home is a thoughtful process involving much consideration — who made my products, how they were made, and what are they made from — and this guide aims to support you on your journey towards finding ethical and sustainable home decor you truly love.
What is Sustainable Home Decor?
Sustainable home decor includes any home decor that is made in a way that takes into consideration both the makers and the planet. Sustainable home decor will be ethically made using eco-friendly and natural materials. Eco-friendly decor will also be produced using sustainable supply chain practices. This includes using renewable energy and recycled or compostable packaging.
While there are numerous sustainable home decor brands, some of which are featured below, first consider what’s already been made in order to prevent contributing to new waste. Secondhand, used, or DIY home decor options are typically more sustainable than buying new.
What is Ethical and Fair Trade Home Decor?
Ethical and Fair Trade home decor is produced in a way that adheres to Fair Trade standards and is, ideally, Fair Trade Certified. Fair Trade means paying artisans and makers a fair, living wage and providing ethical working conditions. Ethical home decor also includes supporting goods made by artisans using traditional heritage techniques and art forms. Many cultures around the world are at risk of losing their age-old artisanal crafts forever in the age of mass manufacturing.
It’s important to note that sometimes a major brand may use an “eco” fiber while still supporting irresponsible labor practices, and excessive production amounts that inevitably lead to a lot of waste. This is not true sustainability in my mind!
Most artisan-made home decor is ethically produced and directly supports the makers. However, it’s important to check if a brand or marketplace is transparent about their business practices to ensure they are ethical or Fair Trade.
Where Can You Find Sustainable Home Decor?
In terms of environmental sustainability, looking secondhand and vintage is always a great first place to look for sustainable home decor.
But if you’ve scoured those options and haven’t found what you’re looking for and/or if you’re looking to financially support artisans and traditional crafts around the globe, this shopping guide is designed for you. You’ll discover many brands with artfully designed and artisan handmade goods for furnishing any space among this list of decor brands.
All of the brands in this guide use natural and/or recycled fibers and avoid the use of virgin synthetics like polyester; however, some brands do use materials that are not the most environmentally-friendly option on the market, such as conventional cotton.
And of course, I wanted to choose brands that followed slow, thoughtful production practices, prioritizing artisan handmade over factory labor and quality over quantity.
So without further ado, here are my favorite small-batch, artisan-made, and ethical home decor brands.
Note that this guide includes partners affiliate links — as always, we only curate brands vetted for sustainability that we love (and that we think you’ll love too).
1. Made Trade
Categories: Baskets, Rugs, Pillows, Blankets, Lighting, Wall Decor, Office Accessories, Candles
Made Trade is your one-stop shop when it comes to eco-friendly home decor. Their extensive offerings include products that are handcrafted, recycled, locally made, and/or vegan. Everything they sell is ethically and sustainably made and they focus on featuring products from BIPOC-owned or women-owned brands.
Our top picks are Zuahaza, Studio Variously, Kiliim, and Village Thrive.
2. The Citizenry
Categories: Baskets, Planters & Vases, Tabletop, Wall Decor, Mirrors
The Citizenry partners with artisans around the world, ensuring safe conditions, fair wages, and offering grants to their artisan partners so that they can expand their businesses.
Their online collection features small-batch artisan-made home goods made from locally-sourced and natural materials like palm leaves and indigo dyes.
3. Minna
Categories: Pillows, Baskets, Kitchen Textiles, Tabletop, Rugs, Throws & Blankets
Minna is one of the most beautiful fair trade home decor brands I’ve come across! The on-point aesthetics are swoon-worthy and each and every single piece is produced responsibly by masker artisans using traditional craft techniques. The brand partners directly with skilled weavers, craftspeople, and artisan collectives from countries around the world who use only natural materials and natural or toxic-free dyes for their hand-loomed and handcrafted goods.
4. Urban Natural
Categories: Accent Pillows, Tabletop, Lighting, Wall Art & Mirrors, Blankets & Throws
Eco-friendly home retailer Urban Natural is on a mission to curate high-quality furniture (and other home goods) built with quality and free of toxic chemicals. Urban Natural carries several sustainable home decor brands, including artisan brands Ethnicraft and Jaipur Living as well as ethically USA-made brands Farmhouse Pottery and East Fork.
5. Collectiviste
Categories: Lighting, Baskets, Kitchen Decor
If decorative lights are what you’re looking for, Collectiviste is a must. They have a stunning selection of floor, table, and ceiling lamps and light shades, perfect for eco-friendly room decor. Collectiviste also offers a curated collection of home decor goods such as decorative plates and storage baskets. Everything at Collectiviste is created by global artisans, and handcrafted using natural and sustainable materials.
6. GOODEE
Categories: Pillows, Lighting, Wall Decor, Planters, Baskets, Blankets, Candles
GOODEE is an ethical marketplace featuring numerous sustainable artisan brands and designers. You’ll find a variety of beautifully crafted home decor goods to suit a wide range of styles. Goodee is a Climate Neutral and B Corp Certified company. They publish an annual impact report so you can easily ensure their business practices align with your values.
Our favorite brands on Goodee are Texidors, Baba Tree, Makaua, and Tensira.
7. Healthier Homes
Categories: Rugs, Lighting, Tabletop, Baskets, Wall Decor & Wallpaper
Founded after years running an award-winning healthy home building firm and publishing a book by the same name (Healthier Homes) this retailer is a go-to online destination for finding non-toxic home goods. The eco-friendly home decor on Healthier Homes is primarily made with natural materials like clay, cotton, seagrass, mango wood, and bamboo,
8. MagicLinen
Categories: Curtains, Kitchen Linens
Linen is an exceptional material for home decor — there’s a reason we say “kitchen linens!” It’s natural, beautiful, and is often high quality.
I purchased a set of linen curtains from Magic Linen one year ago and they remain one of my favorite home decor pieces. The fabric they use meets the OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100, meaning its been tested for harmful substances.
9. Passion Lilie
Categories: Pillow Covers, Table Linens
Passion Lilie is a fair trade fashion and lifestyle brand with ethically made, zero waste throw pillow covers made from leftover production fabrics. It’s always exciting to see brands implement creative ways to reduce textile waste, and Passion Lilie does it beautifully with their uniquely patterned home decor!
Each pillow cover is made by Passion Lilie’s partners in India who pay living wages and ensure a safe working environment. Beyond this, the brand supports efforts to enable artisans to continually develop their skills and creates opportunities for community development.
10. 54kibo
Categories: Throw Pillows, Wall Hangings & Artwork, Mirrors, Baskets, Rugs, Lighting
A destination for modern African artisanal decor, 54kibo curates a stunning selection of ethically made home decor. The pieces on 54kibo are made with time-honored techniques using locally sourced materials with rich histories. The designs are exceptional, but the stories behind them make the pieces beautiful additions to your home beyond the surface.
More Sustainable Home Guides:
21 Sustainable Furniture Brands to Furnish a Conscious Home
14 Eco-Friendly and Zero Waste Kitchen Products
17 Swaps for a Low Waste, Sustainable Bathroom
The post 10 Best Places to Source Ethical and Eco-Friendly Home Decor appeared first on Conscious Life & Style.
10 Best Places to Source Ethical and Eco-Friendly Home Decor