Whether you’re looking to decorate your space on a shoestring or you’re passionate about the environment, there are a lot of ways to introduce sustainable, eco-friendly furnishings into your home.

One fun and oh-so-inexpensive way to get new furniture is to get old furniture and upcycle it.

Debra Phillips, proprietor and senior designer at SG Geneva Scentimental Gardens recently helped a young couple furnish their first house. “We talked about repurposing, which runs the gamut of found treasure, maybe vintage or antique, and how can you fit it into today’s environment,” says Phillips. Such pieces are typically higher quality and craftsmanship than new furniture, and can be much less expensive, and in some cases free.

Recycled materials such as reclaimed wood can be made into new pieces. For example, wood pallets can be transformed into various pieces of furniture with a little imagination.

Try upcycling a knotty pine chest with lacquer paint or chalk paint or strip it and wax it, suggests Phillips. Then add new hardware. There’s satisfaction in creating something “new” while preventing it from going into the landfill.

Phillips encourages people to think outside the box when repurposing. “Ask, “What can I do with this?’” says Phillips, who turned an eel cage she snagged at an antique show into a “very industrial looking” chandelier. If you’re not lucky enough to inherit some pieces for free, check out antique shops, secondhand stores, flea markets and estate sales. “Those are good options for finding something you might be able to turn into a treasure,” says Phillips.

“Another bugaboo of mine is to keep things out of the landfill,” notes Phillips, who emphasizes that upholstery is one area not to skimp on. “You want to know how this chair or sofa is manufactured; what’s under the pretty fabric. When buying new or used, keeping your decor eco-friendly means avoiding cheaply made pieces made of questionable materials.

“Upholstered furniture should be stuffed with down or cotton, as opposed to foam, which is also made of chemicals,” she says. “Good upholstery won’t have the chemical foam in it.” Phillips also cautions to look for organic rather than polyester fabrics and to avoid glue and staples for sustainable upholstered furniture. “Look for screws instead,” she says.

“Mixing new with vintage shows a collective look in your home,” says Phillips.

Phillips also advises using natural materials for window treatments and pillows. Look for old grain sacks, wool rugs, cane and wicker furniture, iron, wood and leather. “Organic, natural materials really make a room,” says Phillips. Zinc is another popular material, which has a soft gray blue hue. You can see it in side tables, lamps, and big zinc pots for faux plants indoors, notes Phillips.

“What makes for an interesting home is not everything purchased brand new,” says Phillips. “It’s that collective look with something that speaks to you. Think about sustainability vs instant pretty.”