What is a capsule home? The sustainable way we should all be decorating

A capsule home is good for the planet, your wallet, and your wellbeing. Here's why and how to make the change

living room with dark sofa, wooden coffee table and lamp
(Image credit: M&S)

A capsule home is a new way to decorate – and it’s great for both your wallet and the planet. 

Much like a capsule wardrobe, a capsule home involves rejecting micro interiors trends and investing in a select amount of good quality, all-year-round essentials. And then refreshing the look with accessories as the seasons change.

neutral living room with striped sofa and yellow accessories

(Image credit: Graham & Green)

Sally Hughes, founder of Kair, pointed out that on TikTok alone, the hashtag #capsulewardrobe has over 306.1 million views, and this popularity is set to shift to our homes too. 

A capsule home is all about getting your base right. Just as you might invest in a quality pair of jeans to wear all year, you should invest in the best sofa you can afford too that'll last. 

Then, while you might give your jeans a summery lift with sandals, refresh your living room for summer with some bright yellow cushions and fresh flowers, as perfectly exemplified above.

dining room with wooden dining table, black chairs and a jute rug

(Image credit: Neptune)

Lisa Dawson is an interiors blogger, author of Resourceful Living, and coach of Resourceful Interior Styling at Create Academy.

‘It's difficult to resist the lure of a good trend, but the trick is to start small,' she says.

'Take colors, for example. You might love that glorious deep pink now, but will you still love it in two years' time? Possibly not. Buy a colorful cushion instead, and don't invest in a sofa until you are 100% sure it suits your core style.'

neutral bedroom with wooden bedside, textured white and oatmeal bedding and rug, basket, white table lamp, artwork

(Image credit: Lindye Galloway Studio + Shop)

Helen Ashmore is the head of design at Laura Ashley, a UK-based interiors store. 'It’s clear consumers are becoming increasingly aware of throwaway culture, as more and more people are looking to invest in quality pieces that will last in both durability and style,' she says. 

Our deputy eCommerce editor and interiors shopping guru, Annie Collyer, supports this view. 'The cost of living crisis in the UK has meant that people are now more hesitant about what they spend their money on. What might have been an impulse buy a couple of months ago will now be something someone might sit on for weeks, or even save up for,' she says.

A modern traditional home office with houseplants and white office chair

(Image credit: Katie Lee)

It's clear this way of rethinking our interior shopping habits has come at a good time in terms of saving money and protecting the planet, but Hughes points out that 'buying less saves time and limits decision fatigue,' too.

We don't know about you, but we find that decision fatigue is a very real thing, so if a capsule home can even help our well-being too, we'd say it's a no-brainer.

Some brands are even launching special capsule collections like OneQuince to get you started with top-quality essentials, making the shift to a capsule home even easier.

Amelia Smith
Content Editor

After joining Real Homes as content producer in 2016, Amelia has taken on several different roles and is now content editor. She specializes in style and decorating features and loves nothing more than finding the most beautiful new furniture, fabrics and accessories and sharing them with our readers. As a newbie London renter, Amelia’s loving exploring the big city and mooching around vintage markets to kit out her new home. 

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