Sustainable interior design
Sustainable interior design without the greenwash
Sustainability sits at the heart of the studio. Here is exactly what it means in a Sunday Ambience design, in specific terms rather than broad promises.
Rachel HannahUpdated
What you already own comes first
Every project begins with what is already there. Most rooms are better served by thoughtful rearrangement than by wholesale replacement. Knowing which pieces earn their place, which simply need moving and which are no longer working is where the most meaningful savings are made, long before anything new is bought.
Certified where it counts
When something new is needed, every suggestion is checked against recognised standards at the time your list is put together:
- FSC-certified timber, where available
- OEKO-TEX fabrics
- Low-VOC paints, carrying the Trace or Minimal VOC globe
Low-tox choices, marked on every list
If you would like your home as free from harmful chemicals as possible, perhaps for a new baby, for allergies or simply for peace of mind, every shopping list marks the low-tox choices, checked against the standards below wherever they exist:
- Paints: water-based, carrying the Trace or Minimal VOC globe, or natural clay and lime paints
- Carpets and rugs: wool, jute and sisal, GUT certified for low emissions where available, without added stain or moth-proofing treatments
- Fabrics and bedding: linen, cotton and wool, OEKO-TEX or GOTS certified
- Furniture: solid wood with natural oil, wax or water-based finishes, in place of chipboard and MDF wherever possible
- Candles: beeswax, soy or rapeseed wax with cotton or wooden wicks, unscented or scented with essential oils, never paraffin
Honest about the limits
No home can be entirely free of chemicals, so we will never promise that. What we do promise is that each choice is explained, and that wherever a certified option exists, you will be shown it.
Made to outlast the trend
We will never recommend replacing a perfectly good room for the sake of change. The studio favours local makers where it can, to reduce the distance each piece travels, and natural materials such as wood, limewashed plaster, stone and linen, which age well rather than wear out. Everything is chosen for how it will feel in ten years’ time as well as how it looks today.
Designed to download
Because every design is a download, there are no site visits, so no one travels to your home for the design, and nothing is printed or posted. It is a small thing, and it is true of every design.