Serving now: vegan homes
IF YOU’RE still trying to get your head aroundveganuary and can remember when plant-based foods were just called fruit and vegetables, you’ll be even more surprised to hear that vegan home decor is tipped to be big in 2020. It’s nothing to harrumph about, though. It simply means more manufacturers are making furniture that contains no animal products. Faux leather sofas, acrylic sheepskin rugs, even paint, candles and furniture wax are among the range of vegan products available in many shops.
Now developer Joseph Homes has launched apartments in south-west London that will have vegan (or low volatile organic compound) paints that emit fewer chemicals and gases.
The Tramyard, a collection of one and two-bedroom apartments plus two and three-bedroom duplexes in Balham, will also have mechanical ventilation and heat recovery (MVHR).THIS ensures pollens and pollutants are filtered out to produce clean air throughout the homes, which will also have gas-free kitchens to reduce toxicity.
It’s all part of the Joseph Homes Live
Well concept to create developments that are virtually toxin-free, as explained on its website: “Because air from polluted sources is extracted, and clean air circulated, we aren’t breathing in toxins and harmful microparticles while we’re eating, sleeping or settling down with an evening film with our family,” it says.
“And for asthma and allergy sufferers, pollens and dust are removed from the air, relieving symptoms through improved air quality.”
The apartments have living room floor-to-ceiling windows to allow more natural light into the rooms, which feel more spacious thanks to ceilings that are nearly 9ft high. Joseph Homes says light is good for mental wellbeing.
And the block will have photovoltaic solar panels on the roof, to provide electricity for communal areas, plus
Animal-free paint and toxin-free fittings are helping people live according to their beliefs but with style and environmental care, says DEBORAH STONE
low-energy lighting to save electricity and reduce CO2 emissions.there will also be an electric car charging point outside.
Prices at The Tramyard start from £495,000 (020 8767 3655; josephhomes. co.uk) and there’s a register of interest on the website.
While vegan decor is new to most of us, upcycling – its close relative – has been on the radar for years (decades if you still refer to it as recycling) and it’s a style that has been used to decorate The Tramyard’s show home.
“Vintage pieces include the coffee table in the lounge that came from a local vintage shop,” reveals interior designer Amy Broad, who adds: “Right now the trends are anything natural, from colours to materials, so we’ve used timber and cane.
“The bedding is all cotton and linen while rugs are woven wool.
“I felt it was important to mix old with new in this interior, to reflect the local area and the history in order to create a personality. Here we wanted a home someone has curated over the years.”
The Tramyard apartments are being built on the site of one of London’s last working tram depots, near Balham station. Northern Line Tube trains connect to London Bridge and Waterloo in less than 20 minutes while National Rail trains go to London Victoria.
Balham began its gentrification process in the 1980s and is now regarded as a vibrant urban area with artisan food shops, independent retailers and nightlife that includes live music and comedy nights in its excellent pubs and bars.
As you might expect, there’s also a good choice of vegan restaurants.