As an interiors brand, we're well aware that we're responsible for encouraging a certain level of consumerism and the act of 'buying things' to make you, your life, and your surroundings look and feel better. We acknowledge that sustainability is a key consideration in everything we do, suggesting ways to upcycle wherever possible, buy secondhand, adopt energy-saving tips, and zhush up your existing decor wherever possible.
That's why we feature a regular news page in the magazine each month since November 2021 called One Small Step, which focuses on specific brands, products, and collections that have sustainability and planet-friendly design at their core.
We've chosen to celebrate these innovative designs further with the Ideal Home Awards 2025 Sustainability category, awarding each of the five main areas of a home: living room, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and garden. Find out the winners below and what our judges had to say about them...
Best Sustainable Bathroom: Re-use, RAK Ceramics
The Ideal Home Awards 2025 for Sustainable Bathroom goes to the RAK Ceramics Re-use collection. The world’s first porcelain tiles made entirely from off-cuts from regular tile production, the collection is versatile and hardwearing, with a sleek a matt rustic finish suitable for both classic and contemporary bathroom tile ideas.
What's more, RAK does its bit for the environment by treating and reusing wastewater, recycling all waste materials, and cutting greenhouse gas emissions across all manufacturing areas. This all encourages less waste, which is another win for the planet, too.
Highly commended: Avellino washbowl, Kaldewei and Ledro freestanding bath, Victoria + Albert
Best Sustainable Living Room: Seraphín chandelier, Spark & Bell
When it comes to living room lighting ideas, a statement piece can work wonders to create a focal point in the room. Spark & Bell's Seraphín chandelier is a great example, even more so, as it's made from recycled plastic and is the worthy winner of the Sustainable Living Room award.
'This stunning chandelier repurposes up to 120 plastic CD cases to make the “Jewel” drops,' says Ideal Home's Editor-in-Chief, Heather Young. 'Repairability is a key design element, with a lifetime repair service on all the chandelier’s parts.
Available in one, two, and three tiers, in both Oyster/Brass and Onyx/Bronze colourways, each chandelier saves up to four kilos of plastic from going to waste.
Highly commended: Aamani mango wood & cord occasional chair, nkuku
Best Sustainable Bedroom: Bed Tailor Seasonal Turn Ruby mattress, Harrison Spinks
The Sustainable Bedroom award winner is the brilliantly clever Bed Tailor Seasonal Turn Ruby mattress by Harrison Spinks. Handmade from materials harvested from the brand's farm in Yorkshire, along with responsibly sourced wool, this best mattress is perfect for anyone with allergies. It features a dual, fire-retardant cover - cotton on one side for summer, which you can then flip over to wool on the other side for winter.
Editor-in-Chief, Heather says: ‘Sustainability is demonstrated in this foam-free, glue-free, and chemical-free mattress, made from locally sourced fillings like hemp and flax.’
Highly commended: Panda London; Secret Linen Store yellow betsy Stripe 100% organic cotton bed linen
Best Sustainable Garden: Eco passport, elho
When it comes to creating eco-friendly products, sustainable gardens provide an excellent area of focus, since you couldn't get closer to nature if you tried. We decided to award elho's eco passport with the Sustainable Garden award as we feel that there simply isn't another brand doing as much as elho for sustainability in the garden.
Every single product on its website features an 'eco passport' which provides an insight into that particular product's sustainable properties, its material composition, warranty information, certifications, and even the CO2 emissions and energy consumption in the production of the product.
‘elho aims to make gardening as “green” as possible,' says Heather, 'with an impressive range of products that offer a sustainable choice, from recycled planters and pots, to watering cans and water butts.’
What's more, the products are sleek, modern, and cleverly designed, made from 100% recycled plastic, and 100% recyclable, too, making it easy to make the switch to something more sustainable.
Highly commended: Anywhere Ca-rPET, Alternative Flooring
Best Sustainable Kitchen: Ballarini Ledro 28cm saute pan with lid, Zwilling
With a 100% recycled aluminium body, a handle made from over 35% bio-based material, and a PFAS-free non-stick coating, the Ballarini Ledro 28cm saute pan with lid at Zwilling is one of the most sustainable pieces of kitchen kit we’ve seen in a long time. And for that reason, we've happily given it the Sustainable Kitchen award.
Other clever features include a Thermopoint heat indicator, which turns red when the pan is hot, and, despite being made from aluminium, it has been specially designed to make it the best pan for induction hobs, too.
Highly commended: Limited Edition Knife Block set in Brown, Zwilling
The judges
Heather has worked on Ideal Home for over 16 years and has decorated all the rooms in her home, with her garden being the latest space to undergo a revamp.
Ginevra Benedetti joined the Ideal Home team in 2011. A militant recycler, a regular eBay and Freecycle user, and with a keen interest in sustainability, she has written the One Small Step pages for the magazine every issue since it began in November 2021.
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