Can you make interior design vegan? New group says ‘yes’

For most people, living a vegan lifestyle refers to what one eats, forgoing food derived from animals. But a growing number of interior designers believe it encompasses more than that, and recently founded the International Vegan Interior Design Association (IVIDA) to build awareness around vegan interior design, as well as learn from and support each other.   

When Aline Dürr, an Australian interior designer, became vegan in 2018, she “realized that my interior design work … was going to be heavily impacted by my life choice to become vegan.” And she embraced that mission. A natural connector, she organized summits and events, including the Vegan Interior Design Week, which she called a success with more than 20 speakers.  

Dürr said that most vegan interior designers feel like “lonely warriors’’ – she’s the only one she knows of in Australia – and she wanted to create an organization to help them band together. Alone, “it can often seem a little hopeless to contact suppliers and asking them if all of the materials used in their products are free of animal products because often they have no idea themselves and/or they don’t see the need to even answer your questions because you sound like the crazy animal lady that is a bit too picky,” said Dürr. “As an association, we can have a bigger voice, bigger reach and approach suppliers on a whole different level as a united group of likeminded professionals.”  

Dürr knows of about only 30 proclaimed vegan interior designers worldwide, including Risha Walden of New Jersey-based Walden Luxury Vegan Interiors. After becoming vegan, Walden “realized how the use of animal products was prolific in interior design and most people don’t think about it.” We think about what we’re eating multiple times a day, but for many people, their interior design choices are much less frequent, and maybe not even made once every 10 years, she added.   

While seeing vegan options on menus is commonplace nowadays, that’s not usually the case in home furnishings, and the group hopes they can help change that, Walden said.  

“There’s more weight as a group than an individual,” added Walden. The group can approach manufacturers about their product line, or even if they can expand into vegan offerings or offer alternatives, she said.  

IVIDA debuted on LinkedIn in November, which is World Vegan Month, and currently has about 25 members, including 10 in the U.S., said Dürr. IVIDA also has a private Facebook group for members, which meet once a month on Zoom. Dürr envisions doing a one-week launch event, along with debuting a website and other social media, in the future.   

Since its launch last month, the organization has posted Q&As about individual members on LinkedIn to introduce them to the wider community. When asked what’s a common misconception about vegans, Deborah DiMare of DiMare Design said, “We don’t all live in trees, munch on granola and wear loincloths.” 

See also:

PETA names winners of first-ever vegan homeware awards

How to specify earth-friendly fabrics with confidence