House tour: Jasmine Harman's vegan room design

Written by Rosie Ellis | Sep 4, 2019 3:30:00 PM

When Jasmine Harman contacted us about designing her vegan home we jumped at the chance. Not only do we love her show: A Place In The Sun, but we had never completed a totally vegan design before, and were totally up for the challenge!

Jasmine Harman took inspiration from her personal passion to update her home, and we were happy to help her on her way (and we still are - stay tuned for future vegan room designs).

Jasmine, who has presented the Channel 4 series for 15 years now, has been a vegetarian since the age of six and has been vegan since shortly after giving birth to her daughter five years ago.

She decided she wanted to reflect her new lifestyle when it came to the makeover for the stunning 1830s home in Carshalton where she lives with her husband Jon and children Joy and Albion.

Her husband Jon found us whilst browsing the internet and then we were off! Don't want just Jon and Jasmine to have all the fun?! You can shop Jasmine's entire open-plan living room look by clicking the button below.

Starting the process

Jon found us on Instagram and enquired about our online interior design service. Jon and Jasmine then submitted their room design brief online and were matched with Lucy, our Head of Interior Design. Our design service process was kicked off with a phone call to dig a little deeper into what Jasmine was looking for in terms of style and functionality.

Lucy worked with Jasmine to come up with a look that was both beautiful AND as cruelty-free as possible. The design process is super collaborative, sharing layout and design ideas throughout to ensure both Lucy and Jasmine are both on the same page and when the final design is issued, the only surprises are pleasant ones!

We have created over 1000 room designs for clients, but a totally vegan makeover was a first for us, however, we do love a challenge and we were sure to not compromise on style.

Designing a vegan room

Key considerations included avoiding feather-filled cushions, furniture with bee's wax and wool (the likes of wool mix fabrics and rugs). Also, lots of pain isn't vegan either, so we had to research that too.

It's difficult to have a completely vegan interior as there are so many animal products used, such as in the glue that holds lots of furniture together. We didn't go as far as checking the glue in each furniture piece, for example, but the materials of the products we suggested were all considered.

Thinking about having a cruelty-free home transformation yourself? Just press the button below.

Read Jasmine's 11 considerations to be aware of when designing a vegan home:

1. Cushions

'Trying to avoid down is possibly the most difficult as many sofas and armchairs come with pre-stuffed cushions. I wouldn't use down because many birds are plucked repeatedly whilst alive, causing considerable pain and distress. Some of these birds are in the Foie Gras industry and are doubly abused. The alternative to live plucked down is taken from birds at slaughter, which is obviously a no go as well.'

We made sure Jasmine's cushion selection displayed only cushion covers with vegan cushion pads. Sometimes you can be caught out as it can all be hidden in the small print!

2. Rugs

One of the most common materials for rugs is wool or sheepskin. Sheepskin can't be produced without killing the sheep and shearing isn't always painless.

Synthetic rugs are just as stylish and every suggestion provided by us was cruelty-free.

3. Duvets

Finding a duvet that is as warm and light as down and hugs your body, in the same way, is not easy. Jasmine found a lovely microfibre range from comfort that has the added bonus of being anti-allergy and machine washable and behaves similarly to down, but more bouncy and less clump.

4. Pillows

Down pillows are a no-no, and Jasmine's preference is memory foam, latex and even hollow fibre, all of which are way more comfortable than down, and more hygienic too! Jasmine's is from John Lewis.

5. Sofas & armchairs

Jasmine isn't a fan of leather-type armchairs, although with two small children, the benefits of 'wipe clean' furniture is clear! She prefers fabric upholstered furniture, but if you like the leather look you can get vegan, synthetic or fake leather which will probably be cheaper too!

6. Recycled items

Rugs made from recycled plastic are stylish and also suitable for outdoor use - see Wayfair for a great selection!

7. Upcycling & vintage items

Jasmine sought vintage and upcycled items from eBay and Louisa Grace interiors.

8. Silk

Avoiding silk is something that Jasmine hadn't previously thought of, until her mum mentioned it. Of course, silkworms are killed for their silk. It's perceived as a luxury fabric so non-animal-derived alternatives can often be more robust, more affordable and, of course, kinder.

9. Carpet

Wool carpets are perceived to be the most luxurious but Jasmine chose a good quality synthetic carpet. It's more durable and easier to clean, as well as being much cheaper.

10. Blankets & throws

Another place where you need to avoid wool, using cotton or synthetic meterials. Synthetic and cotton blankets can be just as cosy and fluffy, but much easier to wash and care for than wool. Jasmine chose from a range at Laura Ashley.

11. Paint colours

Jasmine mostly avoids red tones, in case they come from the Coachineal insect, so for her MBR design we used a blue Farrow & Ball paint.

Jasmine's experience

Upon completion of the design with Lucy, Jasmine was presented with a room design complete with a mood board, 2D visual, annotated floor plan and a personalised, virtual shopping list abundant in vegan home products and alternatives so Jasmine can swap them in and out as she pleases!

Once Jasmine and Jon confirmed their favourite items in each category, they then used our free personal shopping service to order all their beautiful furniture and bring the design to life in their gorgeous home.

Love her home style? Get started on your own design today:

"We were delighted with the result. I don't know if it's physically possible to guarantee everything is completely vegan and there's always a chance that something may have fallen through the net, but working with My Bespoke Room made it as vegan-friendly as possible." - Jasmine Harman

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