Why Non-Toxic Textiles Are So Important for Your Home

Elworthy Studio is one of our 2020 Emerging Designers. Discover the entire inaugural class here and why they’re making the West a more beautiful place.

Name: Kate Miller of Elworthy Studio

Type of work: Wallpaper and textile designer

Established: 2015

Based out of: Half Moon Bay

Kate Miller has a resume across fashion, merchandise, and textiles—and across oceans. “When I was living in Shanghai, I suffered from some health problems caused by environmental toxins. I knew some things were out of my control, but educated myself so that I could improve the quality of the air inside our apartment,” says Miller. 

That led her to create toxin-free home textiles through Elworthy Studio, where Miller designs wallpapers, fabrics, and pillows. “When I founded Elworthy Studio, I knew my values would be integral to the brand, so I set out to create decor that is produced with sustainability in mind and fits in with the ideal of a healthy home,” she says.

Thomas J. Story

“A healthy, toxin-free home has been of the utmost importance to me since living in Shanghai,” says Miller. Her designs focus on using materials that are not only friendly to the body, but to the planet as well. “The textile industry produces a huge amount of waste, and I refuse to be part of the problem,” she says. 

She sources European linen from a sustainable flax plant, and gets her paper from resources certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. Even her wallpapers are eco-friendly. Her digital printing processes are on-demand to minimize waste, and use non-toxic water-based inks. These mindful decisions create designs that are guilt-free. “I hope that we see rapid growth of mindfully produced textiles and wallpaper—products that are sustainably produced and healthy for the home, that are made to last, that don’t deplete natural resources or pollute our planet.”