Materials for interior design

The analysis of the material aspect regarding the furnishings and finishes of interior spaces is complex and deserves special attention. In fact, the choice of building materials, usually the style that you want to follow and obtain for your spaces is placed. However, this reasoning turns out to be reductive because the furniture, in addition to being pleasant to the eye, must guarantee comfort and psycho-physical well-being to the user who spends a large part of his time inside the domestic and working environments. To this end, it is good to opt for raw materials that ensure high levels of quality and performance.

Contents

• Choosing materials: things to consider
• Materials for interior design
• Pollution in domestic environments
• Current legislation  
• The tests in the laboratory
• Brands and certifications

Over time, technological progress has led to the development of countless materials used in the architecture of interior environments and today there is constant research aimed at optimizing products in terms of quality and prevention for the health of the user.
Below is a short guide to use conscious furnishing choices and aimed at personal well-being.

Choosing materials: things to consider

The materials that affect interior design represent a strong characterization element for the entire environment. In fact, their aesthetic rendering can give back different atmospheres: the colors, the textures, the surfaces, and the finishes must be chosen with care in order to obtain specific results. The most innovative materials, in addition to giving coverings and furniture a very contemporary look, thanks to the respect of high quality standards, are able to ensure sustainability and healthiness for the users. In fact, it is necessary to think of the interior architecture project as a living organism that communicates with the user and with the external environment.

In addition to protecting the health of the user, thanks to the absence of harmful substances, material surfaces interact with light and with the climatic conditions of the internal and external environment. It is therefore important to take into account all these characteristics, necessary to orient oneself in an increasingly rich and varied market, to make the choice best suited to one's needs. However, these are not the only elements necessary to prefer specific materials.

Below is a short list of useful aspects for choose the furniture material and finishes interior.

Performance characteristics

It is good to evaluate your needs: is the piece of furniture designed to be replaced after a short time because you are used to changing your residence or will it be an element that will accompany you for a long time? In the first case, primary importance is usually given to the aesthetic result, opting for materials with "effect" finishes, too often sacrificing quality to reach an economic compromise. In the second case, it is essential to choose high-quality and long-lasting materials, so that in exchange for a higher initial expense, you will enjoy valuable furnishings over the years.

Flexibility

Often, it is useful to think of the floor plan of your home, the spaces intended for offices or other activities as flexible systems that can change over time depending on the contingency. For this reason, the materials of the finishes and also those of the furnishings must be thought of as adaptable to changing needs. If today a quality parquet "dresses" the home office with elegance, tomorrow it can also be kept for the bedroom of a new arrival in the family. In the same way, certified wooden furniture can be used for the living room but also for future needs as long as it is resistant and of quality. For this reason, a careful analysis of the materials can guarantee the components of the house a prolonged use over time.  

Simple maintenance

Maintenance is also an important aspect that should not be underestimated: in fact, depending on personal needs and lifestyle, you can opt for one material rather than another. For example, those who are very careful about the care of surfaces will have the possibility of choosing more sophisticated and aesthetically pleasing but very delicate ones, while those who put functionality first will have to opt for more resistant and durable materials. A practical example could be the kitchen top: Corian and treated wood for an elegant and pleasant aesthetic result, granite and laminate for greater resistance to scratches and humidity. As for furniture, the discussion is similar, a sideboard in the living room will have a different function from the kitchen table because it will be less exposed to damage and impacts. For this reason, the material that constitutes it could be more valuable and delicate than the surface of a worktop. If we then consider the furniture in the bedroom of one or more lively and "creative" children, it will be necessary to prevent the risk of marker stains and impacts with toys so the material must be washable, non-toxic and resistant over time.

Ease of installation

As for the finishes, the installation can be a reason to choose between different materials. In fact, often, a simpler installation guarantees a significant saving in terms of costs, time and waste production. 

Sustainability

Users are increasingly attentive to the sustainability of materials used in construction and interior design. Products are increasingly chosen based on respect for the environment throughout their life cycle: from growth, to production, from use to recycling. An example of this is wood from sustainably managed forests. Once installed, in addition to guaranteeing the absence of harmful substances, it will be an excellent ally for correct thermal and acoustic insulation. Local availability of the material also affects costs and the level of pollution due to transportation and installation. Another aspect of primary importance is the toxicity of the building material, which must be free of harmful substances, in order to preserve the well-being and health of the future user. To verify these elements, the consumer must request certifications that are able to prove actual compliance with technical and sustainability standards. Furthermore, it is currently possible to consult the "green" requirements of internationally recognized materials that make them totally ecological.

Budget

It is well known that the initial cost is directly proportional to the quality over the years. In fact, if the material is more expensive it is often (but not always) also more durable over the years and this depends on the workmanship and attention to detail. In fact, a good final result will be able to ensure optimized daily use and a consequent greater personal well-being. For these reasons, a more substantial expense at the beginning will be largely amortized over time.

Aesthetics

Last but not least, the aesthetic aspect of each material will influence the customer's choice; depending on the style that you want to recreate or respect in the environment, it will be possible to opt for wood, stone materials, resins and synthetic fibers. Sometimes, the combination of different materials, aimed at satisfying specific needs, can also bring advantages in terms of quality and practicality of the components. For this reason, taking care of the aesthetics of the environment does not necessarily mean sacrificing its correct functionality.

Materials for interior design

Today's market offers a wide range of products for the creation of finishes and design furniture. The choice, as always, must be calibrated on needs and quality, in order to guarantee functionality, aesthetics and daily practicality.

Below are the advantages of the most commonly used materials for the construction of interior spaces, with a Ad hoc advice for an informed choice.

WOOD

Classic and timeless, wood is the construction material par excellence because it is extremely versatile, has insulating properties and a timeless charm. Used in floors and wainscoting, it insulates the environment from a thermo-acoustic point of view and gives extreme elegance. Furthermore, wood gives pleasant sensations to the touch as it is warm and natural. Resistance to wear varies depending on the wood quality: high resistance for oak and cherry, medium for walnut and olive. For a conscious choice, make sure there are no harmful glue substances and the certified origin of the wood.

PIETRA

One of the first materials used in construction, stone continues to be chosen today for kitchen and bathroom tops but also for floors and coverings. Its main advantages are its great durability, ensured by its high resistance to compression and density, its impermeability and its variety of uses. For a conscious choice, it is best to opt for natural stone materials or those obtained from recycling processes and assembled with non-toxic and quality components.  

CERAMICS

Used in the form of tiles and slabs for floors and walls, they also characterize the material of furnishing accessories and home accessories. Present on the market in numerous color and shape variables, ceramics satisfy the functional and aesthetic needs of a vast user base. Today the most requested type is represented by stoneware, a material with high versatility and the ability to emulate the appearance of wood, marble and resins. For a conscious choice, opt for ceramics produced according to a closed cycle. In it, the recovery of materials from production waste and water used in the manufacturing process, in addition to the reduction of environmental impact, guarantee the ecological quality of the ceramic.

RESIN

Material obtained from a mixture of plastic substances, resin has seen a strong rise in the creation of flooring and wall coverings and furniture. Particularly appreciated for its surface continuity given by the absence of joints and seams, it can be produced in many colors and textures. Among resins, Corian is among the most appreciated thanks to its elegant aesthetic yield and its easy processing. For a conscious choice, make sure that the resins used have a quality certificate, are suitable for use in the food sector (kitchen tops) and use antibacterial films. Furthermore, it is good to consider the components and their concentration as in the case of polyester resins that contain styrene, a monomer considered harmful.

METALS

Recently more used than in the past, metals find their greatest use in the coatings and finishes of worktops. Among the most common are corten, steel, and brass, also used for taps and details of kitchens and bathrooms. They all require careful maintenance but the final result is priceless in terms of elegance and modernity. For a conscious choice, this type of material should also be chosen if produced according to the criteria of environmental sustainability.

TEXTILES

Not only furnishing accessories but also wallpapers and wall coverings are made of textile fibres. The numerous treatments make these products resistant to humidity and atmospheric agents, so that they can be used even in more humid environments. For a conscious choice it is preferable to opt for natural materials that derive from vegetal fibres, eco-friendly and free of glues that are toxic to health.

What materials should you pay attention to?

• Polyester resins containing styrene, a toxic substance which however tends to reduce to vapour during the production process and leaves a minimal trace in the finished product
• Epoxy putties contain numerous harmful components such as benzyl alcohol, phenylene bis and trisphenol, each in different quantities.
• Foam-based insulation
• Silicate-based plasters
• Arsenic and chromium used in furniture production
• Toxic plastics

Pollution in domestic environments

An aspect that is often overlooked or completely ignored concerns the pollution of indoor environments due to the characteristics of the materials used in furnishings and finishes. In fact, even today there are too many toxic substances such as benzene, nitrogen dioxide, asbestos, radon, phenols and fluorides, inside buildings. All these elements are harmful to the health of users and dangerous for the free use of closed spaces over time.

Recent studies have shown how the increase in allergies, migraines and conjunctivitis are closely linked to this type of problem. Pollutants can also cause more serious and degenerative diseases as months and years pass. For all these reasons today we can speak of a real emergency that must be countered as soon as possible.

The first step is to thoroughly inform yourself about the products you buy: the furnishings must not contain toxic materials and carcinogenic substances. Certified products created within supply chains that guarantee international quality standards are preferable. In addition, a further aid can be given by particular species of houseplants, such as dracaena, aloe, lily and sansevieria, capable of purifying the air from any pollutants.

Current legislation 

Depending on the type of furniture, there are specific European regulations that determine the standards for the materials that compose it. Manufacturing companies are required to comply with these requirements to provide their retailers with products that protect the customer and respect the environment.  

In the sector of materials used for the production of furniture, the reference standard is the UNI EN ISO where UNI stands for “Italian national standard”, EN “in line with the CEN directives” (Comité Européen de Normalisation) but adopted in Italy, ISO “developed by ISO” (International Organization for Standardization). In this case, therefore, it is a standard issued at an international level and adopted in Europe and in Italy.

In the case of residential furniture, reference is made to the technical standards UNI EN 12520 and UNI EN 12521 which define the safety, robustness and durability requirements of seats and tables for domestic use. In the case of storage furniture, reference is made to the standard UNI EN 14749 containing mechanical safety requirements aimed at preventing accidents caused by foreseeable use. 

As regards finishes, for example the installation of parquet, the UNI 11368-1 and UNI 11368-2 standards apply, relating to floors laid by gluing and floating floors.  

All materials used for the finishing and production of furniture must have appropriate fire reaction requirements and in the specific case of wooden surfaces it will be essential that they are treated with special fireproof films.

The tests in the laboratory

In the face of increasingly knowledgeable users in terms of sustainability and the growing interest in the conscious purchase of furniture and materials for interior environments, there are more and more laboratory tests aimed at testing the quality of products on the market. These are physical and mechanical analyses applied to furniture, through which we work to achieve high performance levels to guarantee to users. In fact, it is essential to ensure the safety and health requirements for users, through the marketing of furniture that must be free of substances considered harmful to the environment and its occupants.

To this end, tests are carried out on each piece of furniture, according to standards relating to the elimination of substances that are hazardous to human health and the performance quality of the furniture in question, with tests on functionality and ergonomics. The tests carried out in the laboratory include those on the solidity and durability of the furniture, on safety, on the concentration of toxic components and on formaldehyde emissions. Furthermore, tests on surfaces are important: perceptual analyses and sustainability checks. Heat and impact tests are also necessary to guarantee a more performing and long-lasting piece of furniture.

Finally, all types of treatments to which the furniture is subjected must use paints and finishing products that meet the requirements of non-toxicity and quality of the raw materials used.

Brands and certifications

It is therefore clear that the materials used for walls, floors and furniture components must be certified and guaranteed by manufacturers and sellers. Some of the certifications that must be requested to obtain greater protection for your purchases include:

CE mark

This is a mandatory label for all products, materials and kits that will be included in construction works or parts of them and marketed in European territory. In the case of furnishings and non-structural components, the products must be CE marked with checks performed by the manufacturer. With the CE mark, the manufacturer ensures the conformity of the material to the safety, health and technical regulations requirements.

FSC brand
The Forest Stewardship Council brand is applied to products and solutions made entirely of wood from certified forests. Producers who support the environmental cause collaborate to combat deforestation. The brand guarantees sustainable growth and felling of trees with regrowth and species conservation programs. Furthermore, the wood produced can be recovered and recycled in a manner consistent with the principles of the circular economy.

100% Made in Italy brand

Applied mainly in the furniture sector, the “Made in Italy” brand certifies that production has taken place in the national territory, in full compliance with quality standards. Today it is a feature increasingly requested by customers who prefer to purchase a quality product from a performance and compositional point of view.

IMQ mark
Applied to products belonging to the electronic and water-sanitary sectors, it certifies the actual application of safety checks.  

ECOLABEL label
It indicates the characteristics of the product in terms of ecological quality at European level; products with the Ecolabel label are distinguished by respect for the environment, guaranteed throughout their life. The label can be found on wooden furniture, paint products, taps and sanitary ware.

Environmental self-declaration

These are independent notifications that require subsequent verification to demonstrate their actual validity. One of the most well-known examples is the Mobius Loop, represented by a very well-known green symbol that indicates the level of recyclability of the product and how much recycled material it contains.