When I was curating furniture and decor for my first home, I was well-prepared for sourcing furniture and textile-based decor like pillows given all of the research I’ve done over the years for my guides. But mirrors presented a new challenge: what makes a mirror “sustainable”? And are there any style-forward sustainable mirrors to choose from? And how do I source something like a full-length sustainable mirror within a reasonable budget?
This guide is the result of all of that research — mirrors from companies I purchased from and others I researched but didn’t ultimately select for my own space.
What to Look for in a Sustainable Mirror:
Most mirrors are made from glass and reflective metal with a frame. Some lighter weight or “shatterproof” mirrors use transparent acrylic or polycarbonate — in other words: plastic. If sustainability is something you’re looking for I’d avoid those materials, as they’re directly derived from fossil fuels.
Here’s what else to keep in mind.
Note that this guide includes affiliate links, meaning if you make a purchase through some of these links, we may earn a commission which enables us to keep creating resources just like this one. As always, these are brands that meet high standards for sustainability and are brands we truly love — and that we think you’ll love too!
Search for Secondhand Mirrors
Shopping for pre-loved mirrors keeps existing mirrors out of the landfill while reducing the need for new production. (Get tips for shopping secondhand home goods here.)
Local Secondhand Options:
- Local thrift shops and furniture resale stores
- Estate sales or garage sales
- Apps like Facebook Marketplace and OfferUp for local pickups
Online Secondhand Options:
While these options are typically priced a bit higher (and may involve shipping fees) they can be more convenient and curated than the above options. These resources do all the work of inspection, cleaning, and delivery for you.
- AptDeco is best for big name brands at lower prices. The resale site has gently used, mid-market furniture (think West Elm and Ethan Allen) for prices that are anywhere from 10-85% lower than new.
- Chairish is best for unique finds and investment pieces. The vintage site has a stunning, curated selection of everything from art deco mirrors to traditional 19th century mirrors.
- Happy Vintage Studio is best for vintage accent mirrors. This “star seller” on Etsy has plenty of one-of-a-kind mirrors of all shapes and sizes — and at quite reasonable prices for vintage, too. You can get the pieces delivered or do a local pickup if you’re near the Virginia-based seller.
Responsible Materials
If shopping new, look for mirrors with eco-friendly frames. As I mentioned, the mirror itself doesn’t vary all that much (just make sure it’s glass, not plastic!). The frames, though, can vary quite a bit. Most mass-production mirrors are made with metal frames or pressed wood, potentially sourced irresponsibly. Instead look for mirrors made from materials like sustainably-sourced or reclaimed wood, bamboo, rattan, or recycled metal.
Working Conditions & Craftsmanship
The people aspect of sustainability is just as important to consider. Does the brand publish information about how the mirror was made and if the makers earned fair, living wages? If they worked in safe conditions and had benefits? There are some certifications like Fair Trade Certified factories, though this is still rare among furniture companies unfortunately.
Where to Find Sustainable Mirrors
Sustainable home decor shopping isn’t easy, but I’ve done a lot of the heavy lifting for you. Check out the following vetted sources to find responsibly-made more sustainable mirrors.
1. Ethnicraft @ Urban Natural
Ethnicraft has mastered the art of creating stylish home objects with exceptional craftsmanship over the course of their 25 years in business. Their sustainable mirrors are crafted by artisans using materials like solid mahogany, walnut, oak and bronze.
The brand sources FSC-certified wood and repurposes waste, like recycling leftover wood into things like base material.
Best for: Elegant, artisan-made mirrors
Price range: $539 (wall mirror) – $1,269 (aged floor mirror)
2. Green Row
Best for: Artful mirrors that add real character
This sustainable furniture and decor brand is newer to the scene, and I only recently learned about it. Part of the Williams Sonoma family, Green Row was founded with sustainability at its foundation — with decades of design and sourcing experience behind it.
Green Row’s mirror collection leans into artisan techniques you don’t see often in mainstream home decor: from bone hand-inlaid onto mango wood frames and reverse-painted etched glass (made in India) to natural shell inlay(Philippines). Each piece is framed as an effort to preserve traditional handcraft techniques, so the natural variation between pieces is part of the character. (They do use MDF for backings, though.)
Conscious Qualities: Mango Wood and Rattan Frames, Artisan-Made, Cultural Craft Preservation
Price Range: $219 (accent mirror) – $5,000 (hand-sculpted Venetian glass mirror)
3. Village Thrive
Best for: Rattan mirrors in playful, artisan-made shapes
Village Thrive partners with an artisan collective of over 100 makers in Kerobokan, Bali, handcrafting rattan mirrors sustainably sourced on the island. Beyond the classic round and rectangle shapes, they offer genuinely distinctive silhouettes — think arches, crescent moons, blooms, an “opened eye” shape, and a rainbow.
One of the touches I appreciate is that Village Thrive sells “imperfect” mirrors with slight cosmetic damage at a discount, rather than discarding them — this is both a way to reduce waste from the handcraft process, and a good option if you’re not picky about flawless decor and want to save some money.
Conscious Qualities: Ethically Artisan-Made, Natural Materials
Price Range: $111 (imperfect option) – $285
4. VivaTerra
Best for: Organic and antique accent mirrors
Green lifestyle retailer VivaTerra offers a selection of sustainably-crafted home decor and furniture, including mirrors.
Among their current available options are a hand-hammered antique brass framed mirror made by their artisan partners and a woven flower-shaped mirror crafted from cane.
Conscious Qualities: Artisan-Made, Natural Frame Options
Price Range: $249 – $329
5. What We Make
Best for: handcrafted solid wood mirrors
Made from sustainably-sourced American hardwood by a woodworking studio in Pittsburgh, these are not your average mirrors.
Each timeless mirror is handmade to order with heirloom quality joinery and a mirror glass with hardboard backing (to make it easily replaceable). Choose between Walnut, natural White Oak, or White Oak with a black finish.
Conscious Qualities: Sustainably-Sourced Hardwood, Made to Order in the US
Price Range: $995 – $1,495
Honorable mention:
West Elm – Natural Fiber Mirrors
Furniture retailer West Elm has several accent mirrors made with natural rattan. The natural mirrors blend contemporary shapes with a textured frame for a beautiful modern on the boho interior aesthetic.
Best for: Contemporary mirrors with natural fiber frames
Price Range: $229 – $439
More Sustainable Home Decor Guides:
Ethical Home Decor Brands to Curate a Conscious Space
Sustainable Throw Pillows for Every Aesthetic
Fair Trade Baskets & Hampers to Store Everything and Anything
The post 5 Sustainable Mirrors That Make for Stunning Wall Decor appeared first on Conscious Life & Style.
Just like fashion has been overrun by fast fashion, home goods and furniture have similarly seen a rapid decline in quality. Rugs are no exception.
And similar to fashion, these cheap goods come at a high cost — namely, to the planet and to people. In fact carpet and rug production is rampant with exploitation.
On the other hand, fair trade rugs present the best of what a rug can bring to your home: artistry, craftsmanship, and heritage.
The brands featured in this guide are partnering with (and fairly paying!) skilled artisans who are using generations-old — and sometimes even centuries-old — techniques. These artisans are sustaining long lines of crafts, preserving their cultural diversity, and celebrating the richness of their time-honored crafts.
There’s simply no replacement for a timeless, quality artisan-made rug — they’re like pieces of art you can lay out on your floor or hang on your walls.
So, enjoy browsing through this guide to sustainable rug brands listed out below and best of luck on your search for the right fair trade rug!
Where to Find Ethical and Fair Trade Rugs
Note that this guide includes affiliates and partners. As always, brands must meet high standards for ethics and sustainability to be featured and all opinions are my own.
1. Obakki
Best for: warm-hued handwoven wool rugs
Categories: Area Rugs, Runners, Accent Rugs
Obakki partners with artisan weavers primarily in Oaxaca, Mexico — including individual makers like José — who hand-dyes and weaves rugs on a traditional pedal loom using locally sourced sheep’s wool and natural dyes derived from native plants. The brand also works with Rrres Design Studio, a Latin American studio dedicated to preserving traditional Oaxacan weaving techniques, and sources handwoven textiles from artisan communities beyond Mexico as well, including Morocco.
Each rug is made from 100% wool with no synthetic dyes or backing. Most pieces are made-to-order with a 4-8 week production window, shipped directly from the artisan partners.
Price Range: $460 – $4,159
Conscious Qualities: Natural Fibers, Natural Dyes, Craft Preservation
2. Kiliim
Best for: modern wool kilim rugs
Categories: Area Rugs, Accent Rugs
If you’re well-versed in rug terminology, you may recognize that this brand’s name looks similar to the word kilim.
Kiliim’s rug are made using authentic kilim rug craftsmanship by artisans in Egypt coming from generations of kilim artisans. To ensure ethical production and to support the preservation of this heritage craft, Kiliim pays living wages to all artisans.
Price Range: $95 – $4,812
Conscious Qualities: Ethical Production, Heritage Craft Preservation, Natural Fibers
3. Urban Natural
Best for: browsing fair trade rugs in lots of styles and sizes
Categories: Outdoor, Area Rugs, and Accent Rugs
This natural home and lifestyle retailer has a beautifully curated selection of sustainably-made rugs crafted with materials like jute, sisal, wool, and cotton.
Several brands on Urban Natural are also ethically hand-loomed or hand-knotted, such as Loloi — a GoodWeave partner — and Jaipur Living — a brand that partners with thousands of local artisans to sustain heritage crafts.
Price Range: $259 – $9,755
Conscious Qualities: Eco-Conscious Materials
4. LOOMY
Best for: pet-friendly and performance rugs
Categories: Area Rugs, Accent Rugs, Runners, Outdoor Rugs
Founded by a weaver, LOOMY is dedicated to crafting beautiful artisan-made rugs that will last for decades to come.
LOOMY partners with highly-skilled artisan weavers who craft quality rugs made from eco-minded materials like banana silk, jute, and recycled cotton, plus performance options made from 100% recycled polyester built to withstand whatever life brings you.
Price Range: $298 – $8,298
Conscious Qualities: Natural Fibers, Craft Preservation, Vintage Options
5. West Elm
Best for: fair trade rugs in on-trend mainstream styles
Categories: Area Rugs, Accent Rugs
West Elm is bringing ethical rugs to a broader market with their collection of Fair Trade Certified
wool and cotton rugs. While I recommend browsing the smaller shops listed above first, West Elm is supporting the movement to responsibly-made, fair trade rugs.
Price Range: $$$
Conscious Qualities: Fair Trade production, Majority Natural Materials
6. Jubi
Best for: Modern rugs in vibrant prints
Categories: Accent Rugs, Circle Rugs, Runners
Jubi is a Brooklyn studio founded by textile designer Cassie Dagostino. Every rug is handmade from New Zealand wool by fourth-generation weaving families in Bhadohi, India using traditional techniques. Each rug is made-to-order, meaning no excess stock. Since everything is made to order, expect between 3 and 7 weeks for your rug, depending on the technique used.
Conscious Qualities: Pays Above Market Rates, 100% Wool, Made-to-Order
Price Range: $228 – $668
Shipping: Free worldwide shipping
7. Rejuvenation
Best for: Classic rug styles made in Fair Trade factories
Categories: Accent Rugs, Runners, Area Rugs
Home retailer Rejuvenation has a selection of rugs made in Fair Trade Certified factories. Their collection includes undyed hand-loomed rugs to geometric flatwoven wool rugs. And while I’d typically avoid synthetics, it tends to be unavoidable for outdoor rugs — so Rejuvenation’s Fair Trade 100% recycled poly rug is a good option.
Conscious Qualities: Fair Trade Certified, Mostly Natural Materials
Price Range: $79 – $1,649
Shipping: Contiguous U.S. shipping for 10% of product price (add $20 for HI, AK, and US. territorries)
Liked this guide to ethical rugs? You might also enjoy:
Ethical Home Decor Brands to Curate a Beautiful, Conscious Space
Eco-Friendly Furniture to Furnish Your Home Sustainably
Fair Trade and Eco-Friendly Blankets to Cozy Up With
The post 5 Best Ethical Fair Trade Rugs to Elevate Your Space appeared first on Conscious Life & Style.
As a longtime book lover, I may be biased, but I think a full bookshelf is one of the most beautiful additions to a space. There’s nothing better than seeing a showcase of your favorite reads alongside a TBR list.
A bookcase, though, can of course be used for all sorts of purposes from placing your favorite photos of family and friends to showcasing treasured vintage finds.
Whatever the case, this guide will help you find the right sustainable bookshelf for your living room, office, or wherever you like to cozy up with a good read!
So what make a bookcase more sustainable? What makes a bookshelf non-toxic?
First of all: sustainable and non-toxic are two overlapping — but distinct — criteria. And both of those terms can come with a lot of opinions and varying definitions.
When it comes to sustainable bookcases, I look for:
- Responsibly Sourced Materials: most bookshelves are made primarily with wood. While natural, unsustainable wood sourcing can be a cause of deforestation, so we want to see that the wood was from responsibly managed forests or made from reclaimed or repurposed wood. Some bookshelves may feature metal, in which case recycled materials here are important.
- High Quality Construction: sustainability includes longevity — how long will you be able to use that furniture piece before it goes to the landfill and gets replaced? Look for transparency around craftsmanship and woodworking processes. Another sign of quality is the length of warranty a company has for its products.
- Ethically Made: this one is straightforward in theory — were the people making it paid fairly and working in safe conditions? — but is unfortunately not always easy to find information. In this category, I look for transparency in practices, what relationship the brand has with the manufacturer (some produce in-house which is the best case scenario for transparency!), where it was made, and how well the makers were paid.
Ideally a sustainable bookshelf would also be non-toxic — as toxic chemical fumes aren’t exactly sustainable! But this isn’t always the case. For example, if a company prioritizes upcycled materials, they don’t necessarily have control over what inputs were part of the original materials. And sometimes a company focuses more on ethical artisan partnerships and sustainable wood sourcing, more than, say, using non-toxic finishes.
But when it comes to non-toxic bookshelves, this is what I look for. (Note that non-toxic doesn’t necessarily mean safe for all chemical sensitivities. Nor does it mean zero potentially irritating chemicals.)
- Solid Wood (where possible): MDF or pressed wood contains glue to stick the various wood pieces together, which can contain added formaldehyde. I prefer solid wood, or if it is engineered wood, I’d make sure the company is transparent around the type of glue used and/or they at least have a product certification like GREENGUARD. (More on that in a second.)
- Low or Zero VOC Finishes: most wood furniture is completed with some sort of finish to provide a protection against scratches or moisture. Many of these finishes are synthetic, and some can contain high levels of toxic chemicals. Look for a nat