Buy green and still be chic

Interior designer Oliver Heath recommends the hippest spots for eco-shopping

Oliver Heath is busy. In addition to his main job as an interior designer, he has a website selling products that all have to be both beautiful and sustainable. He has just written a book exploring this theme, with tips and advice, from no-budget to blow-the-budget. He moved house last week, is doing it up in completely sustainable fashion, and became a father for the second time three weeks ago. Oh, and he also has a TV programme on the Discovery Channel coming up too.

But Heath is as driven as he is busy. Passionate about the environment, everything he does is reflected in his desire to promote eco-responsibility and sustainability. But he also recognises the importance of promoting a sense of aspiration.

"You can't guilt people into being eco-friendly. A few years back you weren't allowed to talk about design in the same breath as ecology because to care about what your furniture looked like when the polar bears were dying was regarded as wrong," he says. "Now we have moved on a little and the key is to make these products desirable and something that people aspire to owning and the rest then follows."

His book, Urban Eco Chic (Quadrille, £19.99, and printed on FSC paper) explains what you can do to make your home and life more environmentally friendly and gives tips on stylish interior design.

"Some will say that in harsh economic times people can't afford to buy expensive eco-products, but the book looks at what you can do if you have no budget, a medium amount to spend, or money is no object.

"It works for everyone. Students in rented accommodation won't want to spend a lot on their houses, but even changing to low-energy light bulbs will save money over the year," he says.

Heath is in the process of doing up his 1960s house. "It's fantastically ugly but it's a great opportunity and there are lots of things we can do that are sustainable."

Here he chooses his eight favourite eco-shops.

Vaillant

"Having a 1960s house is great as there are cavity walls which we can insulate – harder with a Victorian property. We are putting in a new heating system and this company has a really good range of products, such as ground-source heat pumps and solar-heating systems: high quality, efficient and reliable."

01634 292310; www.vaillant.co.uk

Earthborn Paints

"I feel very strongly about paints: most are full of toxins, and we go to such lengths to feed our children organic food, then we cover their walls with paint that gives off fumes. I have designed a range of paints for this company – but they also have other fantastic ranges – that are breathable. They soak up the moisture from the air as well as having no toxins. A key to painting a room is to have the light colours near the window so the natural light floods in and bounces off the pale colours. Choose a wall nearer the back for your statement wall. If you can keep your room as naturally lit for as long as possible you don't need to put the electric light on – 10 minutes a day over a year will make a difference."

01928 734 171; www.earthbornpaints.co.uk

Brighton and Hove Wood Recycling Project

"I live in Brighton and I come here all the time. The great thing about it being local is that the chances are someone will have thrown away something similar to what you are looking for, so there is a good chance you will find a door from the right period, say, or a floorboard the same width as what you need to replace. It's also a bit like a museum – you can see what people think is junk." 01273 570 500

Squint

"Save all those little bits of material that aren't good for anything else and use them in patchwork. If you have a sofa covered in one long piece of material and your three-year-old takes a pen to it, you have to replace the whole thing. With patchwork, either it doesn't show or you can just replace a tiny part. That also encourages us to become less precious about our belongings."

020-7739 9275; www.squintlimited.com

Brighton Sunday Market

"I love going to markets to look for furniture. Get to know the markets where the dealers go, as that is probably where the good stuff is. And following on from the patchwork style, don't aim to have everything in sets. A group of mismatched chairs round a kitchen table looks great. Each one brings its own personality, and if one gets ruined you don't have to buy a whole new set."

Brighton Station Car Park, Trafalgar Street (01895 639 912)

Junkystyling

"I buy very little from clothes shops. Instead, I will pick up something from the market and take it to this place in the East End of London. They will talk through alterations and then adapt it to fit with bits of other material or some tailoring. I bought a rather spivvy horse-racing coat a few years back that has been altered and is now totally unique, which I love. Not to mention they cost about £400 in the shops and mine was a fraction of that. It combines recycling, vintage and style all in one."

020-7247 1883; www.junkystyling.co.uk

Charnwood

"A lot of wood-burning stove designs are rather Victorian in style, but this English company has great contemporary designs. I can pick up wood to burn from the reclaimed yard, and it's much more energy efficient. With a conventional fire, about 80 per cent of the heat goes up the chimney; with the wood-burning stove that 80 per cent is pumped into the room. It also adds character and focus to a room."

01983 537 777; www.charnwood.com

Retrouvius

"Lots of people already know this site, but it really is one of my favourites. You can find unique pieces, and buying old furniture really is green. It's good for a browse and for getting ideas."

020-8960 6060; www.retrouvius.com

For more Oliver Heath, visit www.ecocentric.co.uk or www.oliverheath.com