How to re- vamp your apartment in a sustainable way?

As many of you are aware of, I moved countries last month and am now in the Netherlands!
After one month in temporary accommodation, I finally found a beautiful apartment in the centre of Bergen op zoom, a really cute and lively city...
The apartment has a beautiful view which is a very big plus, but came with pretty terrible taste furniture - and it's open plan which means that yes I have space to move things around, but also makes it harder to organise. 
So how am I gonna fix the problem, and get the cozy apartment of my dreams in a sustainable way?

Vintage & antiques 
Vintage shops and brocantes (antiques/old things), as well as markets are going to be my main providers. Why? A few good reasons include: a) uniqueness, b) with something little you can change the whole feeling of a room, c) quality, older stuff were made better!, d) sustainable- instead of creating new and increasing demand for more cheap things to be made, you use what is already there - much better, no??

Textiles
Textiles will be my best friends. While I wish I could just paint some of the horrible stuff in black or in white to make them less horrible and more fitting, I don't think I will be allowed (saying this - I should ask nicely) so I will drape some nice fabrics where I can :)

Upcycling 
Nothing better than some diy. A) because it gives the apartment a really personal feeling - you made it and none else has the same! B) you contribute to reducing waste, that pallet that was destined for the trash? Not in the trash! Same goes for any other items you can think of doing something with - including your plastic recycling! Pinterest is a great source of inspiration in this context... check my boards

Smell 
And the last thing that really couldn't go amiss if the aim is a cozy home! Nice smell..as you might guess most commercial scented candles are a big Nono for me. Sadly, as I did see some that smelled great and even had a wick that made the sound of a crackling fire.. but scented candles are rarely made from natural materials (and I can tell you that the like of Yankee candles are definitely not! Katherine if you are reading I am thinking of you here xD). Actually many commercial candles are not even made from bees wax but from artificial waxes (originating from petrol sources) and the perfumes are also chemical! So no thanks I am going on a hunt for natural candles and in the meantime I will get a nice diffuser for my essential oils!