Straw Bale Homes + Sustainable Furniture with Schofield Designs

We welcomed the incredibly talented artist, designer, and straw bale home owner + builder Sharolyn Schofield onto this show for this chat about sustainable design both in furniture and in home construction. Sharolyn is a multi-talented creative who works with natural materials like wood and metals to create sculptures, furniture, jewelry and other artwork. The foundation of many of her pieces comes from wood sourced at the local Dee Mill, which processes reclaimed urban lumber, natural edge slabs, and can do custom milling based on the needs of her projects.

Because of her commitment to and passion for sustainability and natural earthen materials, she always dreamed of building her own straw bale house. Straw bale homes are indeed made of straw bales, which are then stacked up to ceiling height, staked with a metal rod in the center to keep in place, and then plastered over with natural plasters and clay to seal them. They’re 3x more energy efficient than conventional framing, and they’ve been used in building construction for hundreds (if not thousands) of years.

And on top of that, the interiors are ABSOLUTELY BREATHTAKING, as is evidenced by Sharolyn’s images of her dreamy eco-friendly home coming together. The beauty reflects the details and nuance that come from doing it by hand with a personal touch, which takes time, but it’s worth it to have a space that is specifically made to exactly what she needs, and holds memories of the creation of this incredible home. The natural and charming feel that comes from a straw bale home is warm and welcoming, and the curves and organic shapes also stirs a sense of creativity and inspiration. You can see what I mean in the photos Sharolyn provided below 😀

Make sure to tune in HERE to learn all about the process of building her straw bale home, what she learned, and where she’s at now—and a very HUGE thanks to Sharolyn for sharing all about her home with us!