Housefish Design, a firm specializing in furniture design, has produced a line of eco-friendly, modular storage furniture -- you can buy individual pieces and stack them practically anyway you like. Why is it green? Well, the furniture is flat-packed for shipping (you only need a hammer to assemble), the wood is sustainably harvested FSC maple plywood, and the pieces are finished with a zero-VOC finish. Sounds good!
Emily Kroll, CEO and founder of upholstered furniture company EKLA HOME, has furniture design and environmentalism in her blood. The granddaughter of a furniture designer on one side, and an architectural and scrap metal recycler on the other, Kroll says she is "passionate about changing the way the furniture business works in the United States." She plans to do this by eliminating toxins, limiting waste and using sustainable materials. And EKLA certainly has a very impressive list of sustainable practices, perhaps one of the most impressive on the green furniture market today.
Arhaus, a furnishings company, was founded in 1986 with commitments to design, craftsmanship, and responsibility. Today, they are also committed to searching out eco-friendly materials and methods. Arhaus has always focused on artisan crafted pieces, created by furniture makers from across the world whom Arhaus maintains "face-to-face" relationships with in order to assure quality and fair labor practices.
Christian Brown Design just released a new line of eco-friendly furniture called Echo Series. The green furniture is made from salvaged wood, reclaimed panels of eco-resin, and stainless steel rods, cap screws, and connector bolts. By design, the panels levitate above reclaimed wood blocks and captivate the eye with a woodsy, contemporary style. Christian Brown uses panels manufactured by 3form and much of the wood appears to be salvaged pine. Plus, with all the variations in wood stains and eco-resin colors, the possibilities are practically endless.
I've been a happy and devoted Haworth Zody user for over a year and my chair is time-tested, blogger-approved -- it's a beautiful hoss. But my other chair, the office one, is quite hobbled and needs replacing. So when I was walking the exhibit floor at Greenbuild, the Herman Miller Embody chair caught my eye in a big way. Depending on the color you go for, it's a loud chair, if not flamboyant, but that's all part of its intrinsic ambition -- and probably why Embody will be the next, must-have chair for stylish office types.
Meyer Wells Furniture, based in Seattle, Washington, is an impressive model of sustainable business practices. Owners John Wells, a furniture designer, and Seth Meyer, a master craftsman, teamed up to start this company which produces beautiful furniture from reclaimed local wood. This reclaimed wood has a unique story -- it comes from "urban trees".
I've just recently come across an interesing company, Way Basics, that's making eco-friendly furniture blocks called zBoards. zBoards are made from post-consumer recycled paper and can be recycled with no waste when their use is over. Their website markets the zBoards with one, main, simple statement: No Waste. No Rules. No Tools. And it's a compelling premise, especially if you've ever spent some time putting together an IKEA drawer or something. zBoards and blocks are put together using a super-strong adhesive tape (not sure whether the tape is low-VOC or anything like that).
Etsy, the popular new site used by artists and crafters, is also a gem for vintage finds such as furniture and accessories. The prices on Etsy are usually quite reasonable -- especially compared to shops specializing in vintage and antique furniture -- and the treasures are endless and unique.
Denmark50, located in Los Angeles, is comprised of a showroom and warehouse full of vintage Danish Modern furniture and accessories. And of course, buying vintage is such a green way to go. The showroom (below) is a nice display of what the company has to offer, but the warehouse (also below) is the really amazing part. Mid-Century Danish furniture is stuffed into the large space as far as the eye can see: couch after couch, chairs, tables, and any other piece one could imagine.
VivaTerra is a catalog and online eco-friendly home accessories and furnishings company. You will need to peruse their offerings with a bit of a critical eye and decide for yourself what is truly eco-friendly, but there are a lot of great choices. Less sustainable offerings to watch out for include river rock bath mats. The rocks are taken from a natural environment where they belong and do not replenish like trees or bamboo. I would also stay away from tropical hardwoods since most of them are not truly eco-friendly and travel quite a distance to the USA. One great VivaTerra choice would be their beautiful "Gustavian Vintage Bed" which is made by a master woodworker in the USA using salvaged Douglass Fir wood from a torn down building, non-toxic glue, and a food safe finish for about $2000.
