Sustainable Home Design: How to Create an Environmentally Friendly Kitchen
Hi everyone! My name is Kayla Edwards, and I’m the lead interior designer here at Springhouse Architects in Springboro, Ohio. Today, I’ll be kicking off a series about sustainable home design, starting with the kitchen.
As you know, the kitchen is the heart of the home. This is where we gather, cook, talk, and interact with the people that are most important to us. It deserves our attention—especially when it comes to sustainable design. So, let’s get started!
Choosing Sustainable Kitchen Cabinets
The biggest component of your kitchen is the kitchen cabinets, and there are a lot of different ways to think about them in a sustainable way. When you're looking at the construction of your kitchen cabinets, many choose to go with a box construction that’s made out of hardwood. Hardwoods, especially tropical hardwoods, are a little difficult to obtain when it comes to transportation or renewability. Those are less of a sustainable option!
A cheaper, more sustainable option for your cabinets is to have the box be constructed out of MDF, or medium-density fiberboard, and then coated in a melamine, plastic laminate or wood veneer finish. MDF is more economical—however, it comes with some health concerns. There could be high levels of formaldehyde and other off-gassing chemicals. So, if you're going with an MDF cabinet, you want to choose something formaldehyde-free.
If you're not sure what’s considered sustainable, look for cabinets that are certified with the Forest Stewardship Council, or FSC.
Choosing Sustainable Kitchen Countertops
When it comes to kitchen counters, a lot of our clients are moving towards natural stones, quartz and marbles. Although they’re beautiful pieces, one of the biggest issues we run into with quartz, or any other natural stone, is that they have an embodied energy—this means that the action it takes to obtain these materials is a lot of work that’s not sustainable for the environment. Not to mention, the transportation of these materials costs a lot (it requires many diesel trucks!).
If you’re looking for a more sustainable option, I’ve recently discovered a new manufacturer called Ice Stone that takes recycled products, like plastic bottles, paper, or other stones, and creates quartz and marble-like materials. Cambria also offers a countertop line made out of recycled stone, where they break it down into a powder and then form a new stone. It may be a bit more expensive, but it’s a beautiful, fantastic option!
Choosing Sustainable Kitchen Appliances
When it comes to sustainable appliances, there are many products on the market that are now certified through Energy Star, which help with your overall energy use.
By now, I'm sure a lot of you have heard that hand washing your dishes uses more water than a dishwasher does. Ergo, if you have an Energy Star dishwasher, it's going to use a lot less water! It also saves your hands from getting dried out from scrubbing food particles off of your plates.
What about your countertop appliances? Many of us (myself included) love coffee—and one of the most sustainable ways to make your coffee is to use a French press or slow drip versus a coffee maker with a plug (it uses energy, after all). Don’t be afraid to come up with different ways to enjoy your food and drinks without having to use countertop electrical appliances.
Choosing Sustainable Kitchen Ventilation
Let’s be honest: I'm one of those people who sets off the smoke detector every single time I cook. Which brings me to kitchen ventilation: You want to think about ventilating your appliances to the exterior of your home, making sure your range hood has the proper amount of CFMs, or cubic feet per minute. In a nutshell, cubic feet per minute determines how much air your range hood moves from the interior to the exterior. You want to aim for a nice high CFM—especially if you have a gas range. Gas can let off a lot of extra chemicals and smells into the air. However, that needs to be balanced with how much conditioned air you are evacuating. Use the hood fan as needed but remember to turn it off!
(Psst…in terms of noise, some range hood fans are pretty loud. If you want it to be a little quieter, look for something that’s about 1.5 sones or lower.)
Choosing Sustainable Kitchen Flooring
Everyone has their own aesthetic when it comes to kitchen flooring. Stone feels lovely under your feet—plus, it’s beautiful. You may also opt for porcelain tile, which is a great low-maintenance option.
That being said, if you’re looking for something more sustainable, try reclaimed wood. Although you’ll have some knots, nail and screw holes, you can fill them in with an epoxy or a resin. It really turns out beautifully!
You’ll also want to consider where you're purchasing your flooring. If you’re buying overseas, that's a lot of embodied energy when it comes to transportation back to the United States. Keep this in mind!
Choosing Sustainable Kitchen Lighting
Make sure you have the proper lighting for the task at hand—whether pendants over the kitchen island or recessed can lights above your work surfaces. Many of us are moving towards LEDs, which is a fantastic option. They last a lot longer and use less energy, making it quite sustainable for the environment. You also don't have to change your light bulbs nearly as much!
Have any questions?
Although we covered a lot in this post, you may still have some other questions about creating a sustainable kitchen. Whether you’re involved in the custom home process now, or even just considering it, join our free Facebook group—we’ll help you answer any questions you might have! Also, feel free to invite anyone that you think would benefit from this collaborative. You’ll not only get advice from me, but from other people who have been through this, too.
Start the process.
When it comes to designing and building a custom home, nothing beats having a trusted, experienced team of architects on your side. Let’s set up a call to meet, discuss your goals, answer your questions, and settle your fears. We can’t wait to meet you!