A Gentle Introduction
The air we breathe, the surfaces we touch, the materials that surround us — they all shape how we feel in our homes. Here’s a framework for thinking about healthier choices, without the overwhelm.
Quick Takeaways
1
A healthy home supports wellbeing through thoughtful material choices
2
Four qualities to look for: low-toxic, transparent, beneficial, verifiable
3
Natural materials often deliver both health benefits and unique character
We Spend 90% of Our Time Indoors
It’s a striking figure, and one worth sitting with. Most of us spend the vast majority of our lives inside buildings — our homes, offices, shops, schools. The outdoor world we think of as ‘the environment’ actually touches us far less than the indoor environments we create.
This means the materials in our homes aren’t just background. They’re active participants in our daily lives. The paint on our walls releases compounds into the air we breathe. The finish on our floors is something our bare feet touch each morning. The insulation hidden within our walls determines whether moisture builds up or moves freely through the structure.
When we talk about a ‘healthy home,’ we’re really asking: what are these materials doing while we’re not paying attention?
Four Qualities of Healthy Home Materials
After years of research into building materials and their effects on indoor environments, we’ve arrived at four qualities that define what we consider a ‘healthy home’ material. None of these on their own is sufficient — it’s the combination that matters.
Low-toxic
The material releases minimal or no harmful chemicals into your indoor air. This includes VOCs (volatile organic compounds — the chemicals that create that ‘new paint smell’) and formaldehyde, which can off-gas from certain engineered woods and adhesives for months or even years after installation.
Transparent
You can find out what’s actually in it. The manufacturer discloses ingredients and avoids known hazardous substances — what the building industry calls ‘Red List’ chemicals. If a company won’t tell you what’s in their product, that’s information in itself.
Actively beneficial
The best materials don’t just avoid harm — they contribute something positive. Natural clay plaster, for instance, can absorb and release moisture, helping regulate humidity in your rooms. Wood fibre insulation does the same within your walls, reducing the conditions where mould thrives.
Verifiable
Claims are backed by evidence — typically third-party certification. Look for labels like GREENGUARD (which verifies low chemical emissions) or the Declare Label (which confirms ingredient transparency). These certifications exist because ‘healthy’ is an easy claim to make and a harder one to prove.
What We Choose to Exclude
Just as important as what we include is what we leave out. We select products free from formaldehyde, PVC, phthalates, and other chemicals that research has linked to health concerns. These substances appear in more building materials than you might expect — certain engineered woods, vinyl flooring, some paints and adhesives.
This isn’t about creating fear. Many homes contain these materials and the people living in them are perfectly well. But when you have a choice — when you’re painting a room, replacing flooring, or choosing insulation — why not choose materials that work with your body rather than against it?
We follow the building industry’s ‘Red List’ as our guide, developed by the International Living Future Institute. It’s not arbitrary — it represents the current scientific consensus on which substances we’d be better off without in our homes.
The Unexpected Benefit: Individuality
Here’s something we didn’t expect when we started this journey: choosing healthier, natural materials often means choosing materials with character.
A clay-plastered wall has subtle texture and depth that shifts with the light. Solid wood flooring carries grain patterns that are never quite repeated. Hand-finished surfaces bear the gentle marks of their making. These aren’t flaws to be hidden — they’re what make your home yours.
Mass-produced synthetic materials are designed for uniformity. Every sheet of vinyl flooring looks the same. Every can of synthetic paint produces an identical finish. There’s a place for that, certainly. But it also means your home looks like every other home that used the same products.
Natural materials tell a different story. The oak in your floorboards grew for decades in a specific forest. The clay in your walls came from a particular quarry. Over time, these materials develop a patina — a gentle ageing that adds character rather than decay. Your home becomes more distinctively yours with each passing year.
Where Science Meets Feeling
We can measure VOC emissions. We can certify the absence of harmful chemicals. We can test how materials regulate moisture. These are the scientific foundations of healthy materials, and they matter.
But there’s also something that’s harder to quantify: how natural materials make us feel. The warmth of wood underfoot on a cold morning. The softness of natural plaster compared to synthetic alternatives. The way light plays across surfaces that have genuine texture rather than printed patterns.
Research in biophilic design suggests that humans respond positively to natural materials at a fundamental level — that our nervous systems recognise and relax in their presence. Whether you call this science or intuition, most people feel it: a room with natural materials simply feels different.
You Don’t Need to Change Everything
If you’re reading this and feeling overwhelmed — looking around at walls and floors and wondering where to even begin — take a breath. A healthy home isn’t an all-or-nothing proposition.
Start with the room you spend the most time in. For many of us, that’s the bedroom — where we spend a third of our lives, breathing the same air for eight hours at a stretch. When you next need to repaint, choose a low-VOC natural paint. When flooring needs replacing, consider solid wood or natural linoleum.
Each small choice adds up. Over years, as you make decisions about maintenance and improvement anyway, you can gradually shift your home toward healthier materials. There’s no deadline, no finish line. Just the gentle accumulation of better choices.
Where to Start
This week, spend five minutes in your bedroom with fresh eyes. Notice the materials around you — what’s on the walls, what’s underfoot, what you’re breathing while you sleep. You don’t need to change anything yet. Just notice. Awareness is where every healthy home journey begins.
Products to Explore
If you’re ready to explore healthier options, our range of natural paints — including clay and lime-based options certified to EN 16516 for low emissions — is a gentle place to begin. These paints cover just as well as conventional alternatives, and what they leave out (harmful VOCs, synthetic binders) matters as much as what they include.