Q: Help! My home needs an eco-makeover

A: We hear ya! Sustainability is always on our minds when we set foot into a client’s home. We’re sharing our no-brainer ways to go green at home…

We don’t need to preach to you all the reasons why choosing sustainable storage and methods is preferable (unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past decade!) However, if the melting ice caps and starving polar bears aren’t enough to kickstart your motivation, try this: the average American wastes twelve days a year looking for things they own but can’t find, and collectively we spend $2.7 billion replacing them! So, shift your mindset. Understand why you’re streamlining. Our mantra is this: everything has a place. If you know exactly where things are, it you’ll save almost a fortnight a year (and the icebergs in the process #winning).

We use this technique all the time. Rather than purchasing brand new storage solutions, we scour around for items we can repurpose. Take the bathroom storage in the photo above. We upcycled a beautiful bar cart, then added storage items we found around the house: a cookie jar, a cake stand and an old candle holder. Look around your home and get creative. Try shoe boxes to house paper storage, Tupperware lids to keep drawers neat and magazine racks to store veggies. However, if you are buying products, our golden rule is this: measure, measure, measure. People spend a fortune on storage products that don’t work in their space. Take the extra time with a tape measure to get it right.

There’s no excuse to use toxic products in your home. We’ve tested a few different brands and here are our thoughts. Blueland, LOVE. They send a one-off package of chic bottles, then refills in tablet form in recyclable packaging. Grove Collaborative is another hit. We also love Food52’s Wool Dryer Balls. Not only do they cut down drying time by 25%. Pro tip: add a couple of drops of essential oils to each ball and your laundry comes out smelling beautiful (we opt for grapefruit every time!)

Forget fast fashion, the smart woman’s closet is all about sustainability. That starts with taking care of your clothes. We keep a closet kit handy complete with steamer and fabric defuzzer. And we use The Laundress’s non-toxic products to keep our clothes looking fresh (their Wool & Cashmere Shampoo is a Maison Haven staple). Love that dress but don’t love the way it makes you feel? Before giving up on it, take it to a tailor. Same goes for any broken jewelry, handbags or shoes. My favorite Lanvin sandals are on their third pair of soles! And if you are doing a closet edit, don’t throw anything out. Instead donate to Goodwill or consign anything designer. We love The Real Real for hassle-free consignment. They’ll grab your stash straight from your doorstep.

The sky’s the limit when it comes to sustainable kitchen solutions. We love swapping out plastic for pretty glass storage. It increases visibility which saves you time and money (no more rooting around at the back of the spice cupboard!) We also love using bamboo turntables where possible as bamboo is a low-impact material. Where possible, swap out plastic when you’re grocery shopping. Use net bags to hold fruit and veggies, and bulk-buy spices, nuts and seeds, then decant into reusable glass containers when you get home. Our final tip? Meal plan. Figure out exactly what you need for the week’s cooking. Not only does planning ahead eliminate waste, it encourages healthy habits (bye-bye cookies).

- SHOP THE STORY -

Blueland Clean Essentials Kit

Meal Planner

Dryer balls

Portable Steamer

Glass jars

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Help! My Home Needs an Eco-Makeover

How Do I Make the Most of a Small Pantry?

Q: My pantry is a single cupboard. How do I make the most of the small space?

A: Pantries are our bread and butter (excuse the pun) so we have a multitude of tricks up our sleeve, no matter how small your space….

The smaller the space, the tighter the edit. Before we started this edit, we didn’t just ask our client what her family eats, we asked how they eat. What’s the breakfast routine? Do cereal and snacks need to be on a lower shelf so little hands can access? Is pasta a staple? Rule of thumb is this: anything you’re reaching for more than twice a week needs to be prime real estate. No bending down, no reaching up high. Then check use by dates and weed out anything old or that you know you won’t eat. Ensure you’re creating a system for the food you actually use and love.

Once we purged, we grouped items into zones: Breakfast, Pasta, Dried Goods etc. Breaking a space down into zones is like a brain map. Next time you open your pantry door, you’ll know exactly where to reach for cereal, potato chips or pasta. It saves time and effort (win win).

The large white baskets are fantastic for pantries and are super versatile. We always add inserts to keep things neat. The smaller baskets are a real crowd-pleaser. We use these to store items that pack a visual punch. Other space-saving tricks? Turntables. They maximize space and make things easy to reach. We also added square acrylic containers to the bottom shelf to house excess salty snacks. Label everything otherwise the system will fall apart. For extra polish, we add our custom labels.

Yep, we love to purge plastic. Where possible we decant goods into sustainable glass containers. Not only does it elevate the look, but you’re more likely to use what you see (plus it makes shopping for groceries so much easier). Here we decanted pasta and cereal. But items like flour, sugar and grains really lend themselves to being set free (make sure you use jars with a seal for items like flour). Pro tip: add cooking instructions to the jar. We use our custom cooking labels, but a chalk pen underneath the lid works well.

It’s all very well designing a beautiful system, but you need to be realistic. A too-rigid system is stifling. We always factor in a refill area for any multiples or excess. Because space was tight here, we stashed the refill basket behind the cereal on the top shelf. Just remember to always, always check your refills before your next grocery order!