Sustainability is a bit of trendy term these days, often making it hard to tell which products are truly eco-friendly and which are just “green-washed.” When it comes to furniture, and particularly wooden pieces, it can be especially difficult to figure out if the wood was sourced and processed responsibly. To give you peace of mind, here are three types of wood that make for a sustainable, eco-friendly home, as well as a few local shops that use them in their furniture.
Image courtesy of Roger & Sons
Recycled wood
Choosing furniture pieces made from recycled wood helps curb deforestation because it decreases the demand for timber. Not only does it give this valuable material a new lease on life, but the resulting furniture comes out remarkably eye-catching thanks to the blend of natural brown tones from mixing different types of recycled wood. On the local front, several design studios—such as Triple Eyelid Studio and Roger & Sons—craft statement furniture using up-cycled wood from trees that were felled for urban development.
Image courtesy of Triple Eyelid Studio
Reclaimed wood
While recycled wood is typically salvaged from construction sites, reclaimed wood is instead sourced from abandoned buildings. Old kudos houses in Indonesia, for example, provide sturdy teakwood that would otherwise remain unused. Furniture studio Gallery278 specialises in creating furniture made from this type of reclaimed wood, highlighting the beauty and strength of aged teak in the process.
Image courtesy of Gallery 278
Certified wood
One sure-fire way to find out if a piece of wooden furniture has a sustainable source is by checking for a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification. FSC-certified wood ensures that the timber comes from responsibly managed forests, such as woodlands where forestry managers plant one tree for every tree felled. This certification not only prevents excessive logging, but also protects indigenous people’s land rights. Check out furniture shop Soul & Tables if you wish to give FSC-certified beds, sideboards and tables a try.
Image courtesy of Soul & Tables
This post was adapted from an article originally published in IdealHomes Vol. 12.
