reduce, reuse & recycle
The month of April meant earth day, and we were honored to participate in a panel discussion about environmental stewardship in the field of interior design. We had great conversations and it was inspiring to come together with other people who understand how we design and build matters just as much as what we design and build.
Let’s start with some scary statistics:
In 2018 (one of the last full reporting years by the EPA), C&D debris totaled about 600 million tons, which was more than twice the amount of municipal solid waste (household trash). While a lot of C&D material is now being recovered and recycled, a large amount — estimated around 145 million tons — still ends up in landfills annually.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), carpets and rugs accounted for approximately 3.4 million tons of municipal solid waste in 2018, representing about 1.2% of total waste generation by weight. However, due to their bulky nature, carpets occupy a disproportionate volume in landfills, with estimates suggesting they comprise about 2% of landfill space.
At the intersection of beauty, function, and responsibility lies an opportunity to do better.
reduce
The goal: Consider doing less.
Have you heard the sentiment - “the most sustainable thing is to do nothing”? Even in my own home, when my own budget is at stake, it's difficult to exercise restraint. In a culture that celebrates the new, it’s easy to default to starting fresh — gutting interiors, replacing finishes, ordering furnishings without a second thought. But new isn't always better. Often, what already exists has a story worth preserving, which saves resources and budget.
Some of our first questions are- what can stay? what can be restored? what can be reimagined? How can we do less?
When we are selecting new materials, reduction comes into play by considering what happens to the selected material when it reaches the end of its life. Natural materials like wood, glass, brick, stone, hemp, jute, flax, wool and cotton are much more easily reused, recycled, transformed or broken down to disintegrate in a way that’s not ecologically harmful. We can also think about reduction during design by planning spaces to consider the size and format of materials - significantly reducing the number of scraps going into the dumpster as well as the installation labor.
Reuse
The goal: Make reuse the first solution, not the last resort.
The case for reuse can be more challenging, because in many cases - new is cheaper. But the problem with that perspective is that it really only considers the front end cost. Not the lifecycle cost. For example, reupholstering a sofa is often more expensive than a new sofa, but typically, that new sofa will actually need to be replaced sooner than the existing one. So ultimately over the course of 25 years you’d need two instead of one.
The most common items we explore for reuse are: structure, flooring, cabinetry, trim & millwork, furniture & lighting. Flooring is sometimes the lowest hanging fruit. Can it be deep cleaned, buffed, refinished? Original hardwood floors, concrete, terrazzo and tile can have a lifespan of hundreds of years if done well. The challenge of working with an existing floor is one we consider a welcome and familiar constraint.
The other factor playing into reuse is style, or the “timelessness” of a design. We wouldn’t describe any of our work as trendy, but it can feel challenging to commit to a design for 10 or even 20 years, because as people we change, our preferences change, the world around us changes. The best we can do is look at the history of a material or an aesthetic to consider its longevity and then to look toward the future of how a client might use the space 3, 5 or 10 years down the road. This means designing and building and selecting materials, finishes, fixtures and furniture with the intention that decades into the future it can be reused and repaired instead of thrown away.
Photo Credit: Blu Dot
Recycle
The goal: Divert what doesn’t need to be in the dumpster.
There’s a reason recycling is the last in the list of the three “Rs”. It’s difficult from a sorting (efficiency) standpoint and recycling into something new is usually downgrading the quality of the material. That said, there are still a few ways we consider recycling when it comes to design & construction.
There are a handful of organizations, varying by region, that offer demolition or deconstruction services which can achieve tax credits in addition to preserving material for reuse or donation.
Utilizing resale platforms and organizations to donate or sell items that can be used by someone else
Selecting materials that are packaged without plastic, minimizing waste and increasing the likelihood of recycling through cardboard packaging.
On-site recycling stations ensure metal, drywall, and wood waste are separated and processed responsibly.
Low-waste building methods, like prefabricated components or adaptive reuse of structural elements, reduce the carbon footprint significantly.
During the earth day discussion we were part of, another panelist shared that they were using glass blocks from a project, having it crushed up and repurposed into quartz countertops which is creating a design, storytelling and recycling opportunity.
The Business Case for Sustainability
Certainly, there are business cases for sustainable design. Buildings that integrate reclaimed materials and low-waste construction methods aren't just good for the planet — they're increasingly more attractive to buyers, investors and occupants alike. However, if we’ve learned anything in the last decade, it’s that there has to be interest, openness and curiosity from everyone involved to make it environmentally and fiscally successful.
A Final Thought
In some ways this blog post contradicts our job and the industry itself - building new, adding & changing spaces - but it’s a look into how we consider the responsibility, impact and opportunity we have as designers.
Great design doesn’t have to be wasteful. It listens, it adapts, it respects what came before while imagining what could be next. By reducing intervention, reusing materials, and embracing recycling not just as afterthoughts, but as creative tools, we can shape spaces that are not only beautiful but meaningful — reflections of a world we all want to live in. Regardless of the space type, as your design team, we have a passion and commitment to consider how we can reduce waste, reuse materials, and recycle.