The State of Green Furnishings
A chair could change a century and perhaps a planet. It will have to, eventually, but the greening of the home-furnishings industry is taking longer than we hoped for. Though we see evidence of one or two singular aspects of sustainability, systems-thinking is harder to find when it comes to residential furniture design and manufacturing.
Asked for an honest assessment of the “State of Green and Sustainability” at New York trade show, ICFF, (International Contemporary Furniture Fair), we traipsed through three very-cool satellite showrooms, one high-end showroom, and the whole ICFF show floor (at the Javits Center) before we finally heard smart talk from a visionary manufacturer. Someone is doing their homework and we loved hearing words like “biocide release, change of custody in the supply chain and resource conservation.” But much more homework needs to be done throughout the industry. Herewith is our first Report Card and highlights of the green and sustainable trends from ICFF 2011 as well as galleries, shops, and showrooms around New York City.
While we did see exciting trends with aspects of green consciousness, we saw less innovation than we hoped for. For instance, when we asked about where sustainable materials come from, we got answers like “Well, with the teak, we try, sometimes the source is unknown and with the horn bowl, we have no idea what animal it comes from, I think it’s a by-product.” Or, when it comes to plastic light fixtures, one answer was, “Well, it’s a plastic that’s been used for years so that means it’s safe.” I guess the speaker skipped the training on MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets) and opted instead for a AMPS, (A Mani-Pedi Session; for those who haven’t heard this expression before, it refers to a partially-sexist comment, “she was getting a manicure/pedicure when she should have been doing her homework”).
Bowl made of horn, animal unknown. Photo: Paul Clemence.
A Combo-Chair Could Change a Century: We loved the Flux chair for its easily transportable, space-saving, lightweight and foldable design, ingenious for outdoor or indoor use. However, the material is “plastic, just plastic” which made us want to introduce them to our next applicant for a green scholarship, a chair made of 78% bio-plastic.
OC Design’s Reiya Natural chairs. Photo: Paul Clemence. The simple, colored and clear “plastic” industrial-use chairs in the Reiya Natural Collection by OC Design are fabricated in bright colors with 78% bio-based content. A US-based company with a smart alternative to traditional plastics, made from renewable resources like corn, tapioca, potatoes, sugar and algae, it is a start to whole-cycle thinking. Alas, although 100% “recyclable,” the chairs are not biodegradable. We wished we could connect OC Design to Flux and permaculture farmers. It’s time for designers to start collaborating and combine their singular green ideas into thorough solutions, before oceanic trash islands, like the Pacific Trash Vortex, now twice the size of Texas, expand and poison even more aquatic life.
furniture – When It Comes To Sleigh Beds, Furniture Traditions Is ...
Creating American Heirlooms one piece of masterly handcrafted living room and bedroom furniture at time is the goal of Furniture Traditions. If you are ready to start your future antique furniture collection, start at Furniture Traditions. As a family owned and operated bedroom furniture builder, the people who create the bedroom furniture that you are going to admire for the rest of your life take a different approach to the manufacturing of sleigh beds, dressers, chests, and armoires. Instead of putting their furniture on an assembly line that machines and multiple people work, each piece of furniture that leaves Furniture Traditions is hand made from the ground up. Bench made furniture is the only furniture that you can expect.
What exactly is bench made furniture? This means that from the first piece of wood to the finished product, only one master craftsman is responsible for the production of your new bedroom furniture. Each piece of furniture is completely constructed in America, using Northern Red Oak, which by the way, is the best Oak that money can buy. Each craftsman signs their signature on each and every piece of their completed furniture, signifying to you that 100 percent of their pride and skill were put into the manufacturing of your future bedroom furniture. This also goes to show you that when you purchase you American Heirloom furniture from Furniture Traditions you know that your furniture is also 100 percent American made.
When you purchase your bedroom furniture you may choose to buy it all in one fell swoop, or to purchase it one piece at a time. This makes no difference; the older bedroom furniture will naturally blend with the newer piece of bedroom furniture. This is because they only use Northern Red Oak, which has distinctive tight grains and rich colors. Quality constructed and esthetically appealing furniture that will last well beyond your lifetime is the only thing you should expect from Furniture Traditions. Furniture that is made the way it is at Furniture Traditions is furniture that you will be proud to invest in. This investment will serve you for a long time as well as the lucky persons who inherit your American Heirloom furniture from you later down the line.
By only manufacturing living room and bedroom furniture accessories the craftsmen at Furniture Traditions are able to hone their skills to such a degree that they become masterful in their craft. By not having to produce a mass amount of different pieces the master craftsmen are able to produce perfectly made pieces of bedroom furniture. They become experts because it is all they make. Combining only quality materials with quality workmanship is the only way to end with a superb piece of furniture. Proud to be American manufactures of American Heirlooms, Furniture Traditions wants you to be able to enjoy their furniture for generations to come. Look for sleigh beds, 4-poster beds, nightstands and more at FurnitureTraditions.net.
Furniture Traditions An American Heirloom - Bookshelf
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Furniture Traditions
Manufactures oak bedroom furniture.
It's a Shadow Box, a Coffee Table, an American Heirloom ...
It's a Shadow Box, a Coffee Table, an American Heirloom ... at Furniture Traditions, they're functional, beautiful and made to last a lifetime. They're an American Heirloom. ...
American Heirloom Quality Wall beds Are Unrivaled
It's not just the strength of construction that makes American-built heirloom quality furniture stand out from the mass produced offerings from overseas. Take ...
Peggy's Emporium - Furniture Traditions - Rhinelander Wisconsin
Furniture Traditions is an American Made Manufacturer of quality oak bedroom furniture, bedroom sets, sleigh beds and living room furniture.
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Alder bedroom furniture comes with our famous heirloom warranty. ... Furniture made to hand down for generations to come. Our furniture is truly an investment. ...