When Laura Ingalls Wilder said,“Home is the nicest word there is.”, we couldn’t agree more.
But what makes four walls and a roof of bricks and concrete a home?
What is it that makes it have a soul and style of its own?
Well, there’s love and family, and other than that, there’s home decor. And when you are looking for products — big or small — to make the four walls of your house feel like the warm embrace of a home, you deserve to be picky.
Your personal style is the first thing that defines the character of your residence. The material you choose is the next.
And to many people’s surprise, hemp has become a frontrunner in the modern home furnishing world.
If you think hemp would give you a high, you are a bit mistaken. That is hemp’s cousin, Mary Joana, that gets you high. And the only high you’ll get after using hemp in home decor is the moral high ground of having made the socially, environmentally, and even visually perfect move.
Legislations across the world are relaxing. Even celebrities are coming forward to talk about the wonder plant. And hemp is now regaining its lost stature in the world of fabric.
LOST stature?
Isn’t hemp a recent breakthrough discovery?
No. It has been around long before anyone roaming the planet today.
History of Hemp Use At Home: A Look Back Before We Take You Further
Hemp was among the earliest cultivated plants in China. The journey began in the neolithic age, and ropes, sails, and canvases were made using it.
Did you know even the American declaration of Independence was written on a paper made of hemp?
Everything was going well for hemp. But then the industrial revolution brought cotton to the center stage. [Let’s not discuss propaganda right now, though!]
But guess who’s back in business now? After having convinced authorities, manufacturers, and buyers of its worth, hemp is ready to take its place as the lead in the world of fibers and materials used for home furnishing.
Why should you be excited about this hero of yesteryears making a comeback?
Why should you ditch plastic, cotton, jute, linen, silk, metal, or other materials for home décor in favor of hemp?
That’s because…
Hemp, our hero, brings with it a lot of benefits for you.
Whether it is a hemp bed sheet that you choose, a cushion cover that catches your eye, or a tea towel that looks pleasing enough to invite home, there are several reasons to use hemp products for home furnishing and decor.
The top five reasons are –
1. Hemp Helps You Contribute To The Global Good And…
Hemp is a sustainable crop. It takes less water and less space and results in more yield. It also requires minimum to no pesticides. It regenerates the soil, and its roots are long, which means it prevents soil erosion as well. Furthermore, it is biodegradable and eco-friendly.
There is no reason not to love hemp. Using hemp is a way to show Mother Nature that you care.
Okay, so you mean there isn’t any direct benefit for ME in using Hemp?
Well, there is…
If you show your care towards Mother Earth by loving and accepting hemp, hemp will love you back.
Yeah, really, that’s how hemp is. It is among the easiest to care for fabrics out there. It doesn’t sprink when washed in cold water. Keeping it clean is simple.
Home furnishing items made using hemp will also be mold and mildew-resistant.
For you, it means a reduced need to care for your hemp-based home decor items. And you will still be able to contribute towards environmental good. All this, with just one consciously thought-out purchase.
2. Hemp Keeps You Safe
Picture this. You get a set of cushion covers at home. They are beautiful and are gracing the corner of your sofa. Now, you think those cushion covers are just sitting around and making the room look vibrant. But, they are also protecting you from the harmful UV rays that enter the room through your windows.
When you sit near those covers, the breathable and insulating fabric keeps you cool and comfortable too.
A set of cushion covers doing all that?
Yes, a set of hemp cushion covers doing all that. Hemp has built-in UV protection. And the fabric breathes and is an insulator. So when you decorate your home with hemp products, you also install UV protection equipment and insulators at home.
Screenshot from Hemp Foundation’s website.
This charming set of pink hemp cushion covers that we came across at Hemp Foundation, for example, would not just up your room’s style and look but also keep you safe and comfortable.
And that’s still not all. Hemp is antibacterial and antimicrobial too. So the more hemp home decor products you have at home, the more you’ll be protected from harmful antigens.
3. Strength And Durability Come Naturally To Hemp
Hemp is an exceptionally durable material. While cotton is soft and breaks down over time, it isn’t the case with hemp.
But didn’t you say hemp was biodegradable?
Yes, it is biodegradable, but its tensile strength is thrice as much as cotton.
What does it mean for your hemp home decor items?
They’d last for a long, long time. Hemp can sustain harsh conditions too. So whether it is a swing made of hemp ropes and fabric perched in your balcony or a hanging item that is constantly exposed to sunlight and wind, they won’t show signs of wear and tear anytime soon.
This durability makes hemp the perfect choice of material for upholstery and carpets.
With hemp, you won’t have to hear sarcastic jibes about old-looking carpets and weathered down curtains from your notices-everything-and-comments kind of relatives anymore.
4. When You Choose Hemp, You Choose To Help Others
Most home decor items are manufactured in big factories that work for nothing but profit. That’s not how the production of hemp home decor works.
Indian hemp is mostly grown in the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR), especially Uttarakhand. The women in the villages in the state grow hemp, which requires less land and labor, even for bumper produce. After harvesting, the locals spin and weave hemp into fabric and ropes. And this fabric is used to produce hemp bed sheets, curtains, and cushion covers.
With each piece of hemp-made home furnishing that you buy, you are giving employment, a source of income, and a sense of worth and independence to a bunch of women in the IHR.
Hemp Foundation is one of the pioneering organizations that makes hemp home decor and furnishing items a source of returning life to hundreds of hamlets in the Kedar valley.
If you choose hemp furnishing items offered by Hemp Foundation or any other organization contributing to changing lives, know that you will be choosing to be a part of nation-building.
Several hemp product users have said that the sense of satisfaction they get in knowing that their purchase is helping someone in need is beyond what can be explained in words.
5. Designs, Options, And Choices When It Comes To Hemp Are Elaborate
Unlike what most people wrongly assume about hemp, it is extremely versatile.
Back in the initial days of hemp production, its coarseness made it suitable for only limited uses.
But technology and further understanding of the cannabis Sativa plant have helped hemp growers make it soft to touch after proper processing.
And they can spin, stitch and weave hemp into a shape, size, and form that pleases your eye, meets your needs, and suits your style.
Moreover, hemp blends perfectly with cotton and even other fabrics. This gives you the option to experiment with the texture.
A silk-hemp blend is a non-expensive way to inculcate the finesse and smoothness of silk in your home décor. It costs less than pure silk, and the durability and longevity of hemp accompany the characteristic smoothness of silk.
And that’s not all. Hemp also blends with cotton, Tencel, polyester, linen, and other fabrics. This combines the qualities of hemp with those of another fabric.
But I don’t want my home to look too basic with just those cream and brown hues that hemp offers.
Well, you’d be happy to know that hemp, especially when it is blended with other fabrics, dyes well. So color choices won’t ever be your problem. Irrespective of what tones and shades you have in mind for your home decor, you’d find hemp products in that theme.
Take a look at the options for hemp tea towels available online.
Screenshot from Hemp Foundation’s website.
One glimpse is enough to show you that hemp products are versatile when it comes to color and style.
Make the First Move Today
Now, if you are ready to change things for yourself, others, and Mother Nature, it is time to make the switch to hemp.
With hemp decor items, you’d be making the first move towards sustainability and global good.
And, of course, carefully chosen hemp products that last for long will give your house the touch of love that it needs to become a Home Sweet Home.
