The Manifesto.
Since buildings are used by all people, all day every day, on every continent, interior design presents an exciting, but as yet untapped, opportunity at scale to tackle the twin challenges of climate change and restoring nature.
To joyfully achieve the common goal of sustainable, regenerative interior design with hope and positivity we need to abide by these principles:
Encouragement not judgement
Style not fashion
Creativity not consumption
Aesthetics not austerity (humans need beauty!)
Progress not perfection
Stylemongers Of Bristol pledges to:
embody and encourage Slow Decor principles to foster better, longer lasting design decisions by planning projects far in advance, allowing time for items to be made-to-order, reducing remedial work, reliance on fast-suppliers and therefore overproduction waste.
not use AI to generate designs or imagery, to avoid unnecessary energy consumption and preserve hand drafting and artisan design skills.
prioritise organically grown cotton and linen fibre textiles, avoiding non-recycled polyester content, to reduce water consumption, health risk to farmers from pesticides and micro plastic pollution.
specify or supply only responsibly made paint brands using recycled / recyclable and resealable containers to reduce chemical and microplastic pollution, improve indoor air quality, limit paint waste, transport emissions and landfill waste.
consider what can be reused, repurposed or recycled on all client projects, introducing vintage wherever possible.
trade with British furnishings suppliers that use cradle-to-cradle and regenerative design principles, manufacture in small-batches and who (particularly with textiles) respect fair pay and working conditions.
campaign against the petrochemical foam and toxic Fire Retardant chemicals legally required in modern upholstered furniture in favour of inherently flame retardant sheep wool, horse hair and other natural fibres that do not compromise fire safety.
continue educating on the public health, consumer rights and global environmental pollution impacts of Fire Retardant chemicals in our furniture.
continue to support homelessness charity Crisis UK and Medical Aid Palestine via the World For Good platform. Home-making is an act of resistance, and while we feather our nests we must help other find and keep theirs.
continue supporting renewable energy projects and tree planting monthly by partnering with Ecologi.
facilitate people in taking time to experience the joy, mental health and wellbeing benefits of hands-on design and craft through creative workshop experiences. Embracing our own artistic agency can make us impervious to commercial influence to consume, and make longer lasting choices.
embrace the beauty of new design aesthetics made possible by innovations in recycled, reprocessed, biodegradable, and otherwise sustainable materials.
maintain up-to-date knowledge of the sustainability issues relevant to construction and interior design, updating this Manifesto with new codes as necessary.
call upon on all readers, whether design enthusiasts or professionals, to join in this movement toward regenerative interior design - for all people and planet.