The sun is back, harbinger of landscaping. What if we changed our habits by opting for products in line with the needs of our dear planet ? From rainwater collectors to furniture with a timeless design, discover all our tips for an eco-responsible and sustainable balcony.
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Choose ecology
Develop an outdoor space while being in tune with your ecological convictions ? It's possible. All you have to do is make the right choices: durable furniture produced in France, sturdy coverings, accessories made of natural or recycled materials... There are a thousand and one ways to combine your desires with the needs of our planet. There is no shortage of green alternatives to put your outdoor space in tune with your interior. Here are a few that will make your daily life more eco-responsible:
The rainwater collector: It is fixed on the gutter, thus recovering – as its name suggests – rainwater throughout the year, ideal against increasingly recurrent droughts. In small format, it is perfectly suited to the limited space of urban balconies. It allows you to reduce your water consumption and you will thus have a significant quantity of water available to water your plants in summer and winter.
Solar lights: Ideal for lighting your eco-responsible and sustainable balcony without going through the electricity box, they help limit energy consumption. There are all kinds and all sizes: guinguette garlands, table lamps or designer portable lamps, they illuminate evenings in the open air!
The composter: No need to live in the countryside to need a composter. Like the rainwater collector, the composter exists in different formats adapted to daily use. For your eco-responsible and sustainable balcony, choose a medium size in order to integrate your daily organic waste. In just a few months, you will have superb soil for your plantations!
An endemic garden: In an environmental context disrupted by climate change, it is necessary to think about agriculture, a more endemic garden. That is to say, favour plants, flowers, vegetables whose needs (in water, light, sun, etc.) are easily and naturally met by the nature of the soil and the climate of your region, of your country. This makes it possible to promote a more sober exploitation of natural resources in your garden, therefore more in line with current environmental issues. The rate of endemism is one of the indicators and elements for assessing biodiversity. Example: the lemon tree or the orange tree are fruit trees endemic to sunny regions, so we will promote their cultivation in the south of France, in Brittany, we will prefer crops that love humidity.
Timeless design furniture
In fashion as in decoration, there is a golden rule to last in time: ignore trends and opt for a timeless design! We apply this adage to the letter to create an eco-responsible and sustainable balcony. Forget the color of the year or the trend of the moment and focus on furniture and accessories with a timeless design. Soft colors, inspired by nature, will have the most beautiful effect. Also, focus on simple shapes, designed for life.
You can of course make your own furniture with pallets or loose wood. This exercise requires some DIY knowledge, but is not impossible! Restoring old furniture is another option that will immerse you in the world of upcycling. However, it is rare to find old outdoor furniture still in usable condition. So it's best to buy quality pieces that you can pass on to your children.
At LAFUMA MOBILER, we have thought of city dwellers by designing a collection suitable for small outdoor spaces. Called BALCONY II, it incorporates a table and a chair, both available in 4 colours. These soft and timeless colors are 100% in line with our approach to sustainability, as are the materials chosen: metal, ideal for durability, and Batyline©, a manufacturing secret for the comfort of the seat and back.
A compact, lightweight, foldable collection that allows you to enjoy the arrival of sunny days without even having to take out a screwdriver. With their 5-year warranty, and their low price, these pieces will be perfect for embellishing your eco-responsible and sustainable balcony while reducing your environmental impact!
Reflect on your act of purchase
More and more of us are asking about the durability of products before buying. It has also become a real reflex for everything related to household appliances, electronics or textiles! Furniture is not to be outdone and brands have fully grasped the challenges of a circular economy. Messages concerning repairability are multiplying, public testimonies of a change of mindset: today, repairing becomes necessary. At LAFUMA MOBILIER, we have a clear vision regarding the environmental impact of our products: disassembly is integrated from the creation and design phase. All our seats, tables and deckchairs are designed to be easily removable and repairable. Also, a wide choice of wear parts and spare parts allows you to easily repair your products and extend their lifespan. So this is a selection criterion that can largely tip the scales for creating an eco-responsible and sustainable balcony.
However, other criteria must be taken into account to choose the furniture and accessories that will embellish your balcony:
Materials: For a piece of furniture to be qualified as eco-responsible, it must be made with environmentally friendly, natural or recycled materials. It is therefore essential to find out about the type of material used, but also where it comes from. LAFUMA MOBILIER has it all, by offering both products made from metal and recycled textiles as well as materials made locally. What else!
Eco-design: This encompasses all the measures put in place to integrate environmental protection into product design. Its objective is to reduce their environmental impact throughout their life cycle: extraction of raw materials, production, distribution, use and end of life.
Labels: Several labels guarantee the longevity, robustness and quality of the products. You can rely on the Longtime© label, which we will discuss shortly, but also on the QualiRépar label or the European Ecolabel for the purchase of eco-responsible and sustainable balcony furniture.
Let's quickly return to the Longtime© label. The latter attests to a company's commitment to extending the life of its products and to favoring repair rather than replacement. We are also very proud to be one of the French brands with the Longtime© label, and we continue to offer solutions every day to improve the repairability of our products.
You now have all the cards in hand to start decorating your outdoor space. We hope that our tips for an eco-responsible and sustainable balcony have been useful to you, and we wish you a very nice summer !