29/01/2026
I spend a lot of time writing about sustainability. One of my favourite topics to get stuck into, not just because it helps the planet, but because it also helps my wallet! 💰
I’m a sucker for using what we’ve got and fixing things until they are no longer fixable.
I buy pretty much everything second-hand, feeling good knowing that:
a) I’m usually getting a bargain
b) I’m not adding to the pile of ‘stuff’ the world sits beneath
c) the things I own have meaning.
My table and chairs served a family before mine, my desk has imprints of what looks like caricatures that I can only just make out, and the sheer time I spend on marketplace looking for *the perfect* item means that value goes into my purchase – even if not monetary.
Anyway, as I am searching for images to go with an article I’m writing (the unspoken and surprisingly difficult part of job), it strikes me that ALL of these images are unusually… aesthetic.
Is it possible to be sustainable and aesthetically pleasing? Probably. Is it likely? Not at all.
Sustainability isn’t just about buying second-hand. It’s also about using what you’ve got. So, unless the 2012 version of you was severely ahead of their time and bought only beige, natural, and bamboo, I have to assume you’ve sourced new items to match the sustainable aesthetic.
But my messy life looks, well, messy. I have mismatched metals, multiple tones of wood in any one room, and all of the children’s beds have been sliced or screwed together to fit the space.
📷 With that in mind, here is what sustainable looks like in my home in photos:
1) Mis-matched and lone survivor dishes
2) Caricature imprint on second-hand desk
3) Second-hand table with a non-matching second-hand bench
4) Cot bed with bottom drawers sawn off so it fits under the (free!!!) bed I found on FB marketplace
5) Miniml laundry detergent (collecting my empties to send back to them)
6) Broken lamp I refuse to replace because it still works
Not sure these photos will be replacing stock images any time soon!
