The loudest voice in the sustainable building arena is that of the largest components – HVAC systems and glass, insulation materials, BPAV and CLT and, well, the list goes on. What rarely is mentioned is the interior finishes. The human aspect, if you will. The face of sustainable design that greets the citizenry every single day.

Is it perhaps that interiors are the last line item on a building budget that it is so often short changed when it comes to sustainable design? And yet that is what people can actually feel, see and hear when they interact with the built environment. Sustainable products and practices can be proudly employed from the front door (whether residential or commercial) to the attic space.

“For us it’s about authenticity,” says Australian born designer and now inspiration behind the glamorous coffee table book City, Coast & Country: Australian Interiors by Adelaide Bragg.

For Bragg, the story is about timeless interiors, and sustainability in design is a key.

“It’s not about fads or fashion,” she continues from her studio in Melbourne. “Whether it’s a client lounge or a family room, it should structurally last for decades. The skin, per se, can be changed out, with recovering, but the piece itself does not have to end in landfill.”

Above: Adelaide Bragg / Supplied.

A successful interior must also ring an emotional bell, and an interior filled with natural elements will beat out synthetics every time.

“Natural fibres – wool cottons linens, hand-blocked fabrics, anything handmade we love and value. People want to know that things are natural.”

Of course, this aligns with some furnishings, including leather products. While some see the production of leather furnishings as an animal rights issue, the concept of ‘fake’ leathers can be seen as a minefield of micro plastics.

The blanket term ‘vegan leather’ does bring into focus some interesting alternatives, especially when considering commercial fit outs. Twenty million tons of the very popular PU leather (polyurethane leather) is reportedly produced each year. Where it sits in the eco / sustainable hierarchy is tricky. Some is produced by coating a cotton backing with liquid polyurethane, while others work on a polyester backing cloth.

It is of course 100% cruelty free, low cost (by comparison to real leather) relatively hard wearing and vegan friendly. All comforting considerations. The downside? It doesn’t smell, age or act like leather – it lacks authenticity. Sensory value is key. Synthetic ‘skins’ also have some performance issues, and let’s face it, it won’t naturally decompose.

Leather, whether we like it or not, is a by-product of the meat industry – a by-product that if not used as leather, will be wasted.

Above: Portugal Cork Co. / Supplied.

According to Leather Naturally, (a global voice for the leather industry), there are 270 million cowhides produced each year – approximately seven tonnes of material that is gainfully recycled into a useable material. There is also an undisputed tie between people and their love of leather, from Chesterfields to handbags. Could it be a reaction we don’t want to see, but actually do feel?

“There is a deep connection for many, even if we don’t truly recognise it as such, to the country,” believes Adelaide Bragg, and it’s that connection that encourages a good feeling about natural elements in design.

Bragg herself is clear about her ties to the rural life, having been brought up on a sheep station, a childhood she cherishes, and one that has imbued her and many others, with a love of country heritage, and an appreciation of earthy, long-living, design elements. Consumerism, as she sees it, has a lot to answer for in the chain of sustainability or lack of it.

“We want to create interiors that will last 20, 30, 50 years and by doing that we don’t create waste. I want the next generations to value what create now”. Without hesitation she agrees with the adage, buy once, and buy well.

Sustainable Living Fabrics, headed by Managing Director Liz Miles, is also in the business of using sustainable material and has been finding the market for natural fabrics steadily increasing.

“I’m definitely not a synthetic person,” says Miles, in a light-hearted fashion that belies her strong beliefs.

The company, which has been her baby since 2012, is the ‘go to’ for commercial, sustainable, fabric.

“All the ranges I’m designing now are 100% wool; it’s all biodegradable, its breathable, water repellent and an absorber of VOCs which it doesn’t remit back to the atmosphere.”

The natural fabric industry is carefully monitored. For Sustainable Living Fabrics that includes partnering with bodies such as GECA which has stringent criteria and encompasses the entire supply chain from supply, manufacturing to packaging and extends to Sustainable Living Fabric’s partner mill and dye house, ensuring all dyes and chemicals meet the EU Ecolabel standard.

GECA is just one among many standards, which to be frank seems burdensome on manufacturers who are doing the right thing. But Miles, as with other eco product producers accepts the additional work as the price to be paid to get it right.

“I need to know where every single piece of fabric has come from and where it’s going, to offset our carbon footprint,” adds Miles, who has seen Chinese manufacturers, faking or ‘green washing’ their eco credentials. Importing fabric does not line up with her standards. And it pays off.

“A lot of designers are finding us because their clients are requiring a sustainability aspect, says Miles. “So you’ve got a lot of clients like Australia Post, ANZ Bank, all the universities they are all looking for that. Designers will come to us and go ‘Oh my God, I never heard of you’, and then leave amazed at the qualities of the natural fibre material.

Again, buying a strong product such as Australian wool will cost more, but it lasts. In fact, says Miles, it is a great product to use both during initial design, and also in re-upholstering / revitalising older pieces.

Other materials in interiors are also kicking sustainability goals – including wall papers such as those distributed by Melbourne based Natty and Polly wallpapers. Conscious of the demand for green alternatives in design the company offer a range of papers that are produced using the ecologically sound UVGel technology. This system produces zero VOCs, and uses less energy during production due to low-temperature LED UV curing.

A more ‘statement’ paper is grasscloth, created with renewable materials such as jute and sisal, they offer another rich, organic texture to interiors that remain biodegradable and free of VOCs. A big deal in mid-century design, (though grasscloth wallcoverings date back 100 AD) the variety and quality papers available now will ensure this look will be a long-lasting design element.

Once seen as a sort of Bohemian element, cork is still taking bows in the design and sustainability arenas. It may be that people of a certain age recall the limited cork applications of the 1970s, without realising the leaps forward in current product design and additional applications.

The thermal and acoustic values of cork is well understood (there are 40 million natural air-filled cushion cells per cubic centimetre of cork doing the work), but new is the sculptural experience.

The wall finishes are highly architectural, while also effective and add a striking statement in places that require a sense of confidentiality, such as meeting rooms.
Long serving, hard to scuff or damage, and soft (at least to the eye), it deserves its place in the sustainable design directory.

These are the qualities that interior design strives for. Authenticity, warmth, longevity and that irreplaceable sense of place and peace that is found abundantly in nature.

Main Image: Derwent Limelight, courtery Sustainable Living Fabrics.

Prue Miller

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