Sponsored by
Showing off on the cheap - SLIDESHOW
A SHOW flat at a new complex of environmentally-friendly eco homes has been furnished on the cheap - with furniture, appliances and ornaments snapped up for a bargain on the internet.
Developers of Sheffield's 5.2 million eco homes, in Norfolk Park, have brought in "well-loved" furnishings, bought from websites eBay and Freecycle, where internet users sell and exchange unwanted items.
A spokesman for the developers said: "A new show flat at the sustainable Sheffield Bright Green Homes Scheme is breaking all the rules of a conventional sales and marketing suite.
No soulless 'fresh from the showroom' furniture for this flat.
"In fact, the Environment Trust, the London-based charity which developed the homes, spent just 1,200 - on white goods, soft furnishings, the lot."
Items in the flat, giving it a lived-in look, include folding bikes from Northampton, a bed from Stratford on Avon, sofas, tables and chairs from Nottingham, and an eco-dishwasher from Doncaster.
Each item has been labelled with its history and a photograph of its former owner to show its authenticity.
A Trust spokeswoman said the aim was to show how "in a society dominated by consumerism, one person's unwanted goods can make a comfortable home for someone else".
A total of 47 eco homes have been created, replacing high-rise tower blocks. The new properties feature solar panels, water-saving spray taps, and insulation systems made from recycled rags and will have estimated energy bills of 100 each year.
Click on the green icon above for out slideshow of the inside of the home.
Main news index
Read more features
Sport headlines
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Sheffield
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: East
