Eco Homes Can Be Luxurious As Well As Green
Eco homes can be luxurious as well as green
Creating an eco home can seem at odds with luxury. For too long, the eco movement has been associated with the anti-consumerist ‘woolly jumper brigade’, and eco homes seen as ugly prefabricated buildings which put function ahead of aesthetics.
But the perception of the eco home is changing.
Recently, the ‘Apple Hayes’ eco house was nominated in both the Best Eco Build and Best Luxury New Build categories at the Northern Design Awards. While at the high end of the scale, ‘Barnsley Hill Farm‘, with a £4m valuation, features a 25 seater home cinema, indoor pool and steam room but with the carbon footprint of an average two-bed flat.
These eco homes show that luxury and being environmentally friendly can go together. And the rise of an educated eco-conscious generation is leading to developers creating luxurious eco house developments all over Europe.
In the UK, ‘The Lakes’ features 160 luxury villas (starting at £870k) built with eco materials (e.g. sustainable timber) and with energy saving features, such as rainwater harvesting, wind turbines and solar panels.
In Switzerland one developer is pouring £1b into transforming the village of Andermatt into a car free community with 500 luxury apartments, which are to receive 50 percent of their energy from geothermal heating.
Eco furniture can be aesthetically pleasing, comfortable and green
As these examples show, eco homes can be aesthetically pleasing and luxurious. This extends to the eco furniture, eco appliances and other environmentally friendly features you furnish your eco house with.
Eco furniture is made from sustainably sourced materials, including textiles as well as timber, which are produced with the minimum environmental impact. The range of eco products available also includes eco wallpaper and non-toxic eco paints.
The growth of an eco conscious generation means there is a growing market for luxurious eco homes, along with eco beds, eco chairs and other items of eco furniture which are attractive, comfortable and environmentally friendly.