Manmade versus natural materials for home decor – does it really make a difference?

Straw wicker basket and Natural cotton fabric

As a nation, we are surrounded by all things man-made or synthetic, which can make switching to a more natural way of living challenging.

Whether you’re taking your first tentative steps into the world of natural living or you’ve already made a few tweaks to your lifestyle to embrace Mother Nature at her best, realising the benefits of living more naturally for yourself is a must.

Man-made materials pay a huge role in our everyday lives, with everything from our bedsheets and towels to our clothes and furnishings made from synthetic fibres.

Making the switch to natural materials however harnesses many more brilliant bonuses, but does it make that much of a difference what the items you encounter daily are made from? Here we answer that all-important question…

Natural fibres look and feel so much better

Let’s start with a simple yet obvious plus-point of choosing natural homewares over man-made varieties.

Natural homewares may often be more expensive than man-made alternatives but you really can tell the difference when it comes to quality.

As everyone can agree, natural materials look great and far surpass interiors decorated with man-made products.

Natural materials add a rich, textured look that just can’t be achieved synthetically whilst creating a unique and effortless beauty that can’t be compared.

By going natural, you can bring the outdoors in to create a warm, inviting and luxurious look in any room of your home.

Yarn from natural sheep wool

Manmade materials last a long (long) time

Manmade materials have been developed artificially to be more durable than their natural counterparts. But their ability to last a long, long time isn’t always a good thing.

After you’ve grown tired of a man-made furnishing, disposing of it can pose something of a problem.

Man-made materials continue to accumulate in landfills and due to their durability, many cannot be recycled so will remain there for many hundreds of years.

Despite their shorter lifespan, natural materials like wool have the potential to last a lifetime with the right care – read our wool care tips for further advice. They’re also prime candidates for recycling or donation, after they’re no longer of use to you.

Those past their peak are fully biodegradable too so won’t clog up landfill sites for years to come.

Going au naturel is better for the planet

Wool is saving the world thanks to its sustainable nature, but the same can’t be said of man-made fibres.

Wool is a renewable eco-textile that just keeps on growing, with the sheep it’s harvested from providing fleeces happily and healthily for many years when well cared for. Creating human-made materials is less eco-friendly however, as Our Everyday Life details:

“Manmade fabric has an even longer-lasting environmental impact than just not biodegrading. The extraction of the crude oil to manufacture them is environmentally damaging and the chemicals used also create toxic byproducts which are damaging to the local environment.”

Going au naturel with your choice of homewares and clothing ensures you can support the planet sustainably at every stage, from its creation and harvest to its production, use, and eventual disposal.

Join the all-natural revolution by browsing our range of wool and jute homewares right here and realise why natural fibres trump manmade every time!

Images: Arkhipenko Olga / Shutterstock.com, Gavayec / Shutterstock.com