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BANG FOR THE BITE
Easy on the eyes and the planet, but we sure can't say the same about the wallet.
COCKTAIL FACT
The most expensive item to appear on Antiques Roadshow: a Navajo blanket appraised to be worth as much as $500K.
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home › tip library › Eco Homes - Sustainable Furniture
How many sick days do you have left?
The Bite
We owe your boss an apology. As home improvement week draws to a close, your house is looking so good you're probably practicing your best fake cough, just so you can stay home to admire the recycled countertops. But keep your job: you'll need it to buy some sustainably-made furniture to round out your new digs.The Benefits
- Forging the doctor's note is somehow easier on top of awe-inspiringly designed tabletops.
- For the planet. Almost 1/2 of the world's forests have been lost to logging, so go for Forest Stewardship Council-certified (read: the wood comes from managed forests) or antique home furnishings.
- Make sure that cough isn't caused by your furniture. The formaldehyde and other chems used in treating conventional furniture continue to off-gas throughout the furniture's lifetime.
Personally Speaking
The most sustainable furniture of all? "Recycled" pieces from antique stores, fairs and garage sales. Jen "rescues" most of her furniture this way, giving it a fresh coat of eco-paint where necessary.Wanna Try?
- Steelcase - their stylish Greenguard-certified furniture incorporates recycled materials, perfect for home offices ($250-$3,000).
- Vivavi - modern with a conscience - plus they donate 1% of their profits to the planet.
- Eco-Terric - home furnishings hand-selected by a discerning proprietor... we all wish we could afford the custom couch ($3,398).
- VivaTerra - check their Twisty Stool, great as a side table ($195). Their beautiful furniture products are always from reclaimed wood or US Forest Stewardship Council-certified sources.
- Ikea - inexpensive and easily accessible, Ikea avoids toxins like the flame-retardant PBDEs and only purchases wood that meets FSC criteria.
- Ideal Bite's Green Mattresses Tip - you spend 1/3 of your life asleep, so make your dreams sweet with a greener mattress.
Nov 10,2006
Sponsor
Living in a 450 square foot apartment in Brooklyn necessitates giving up a few things. Mainly, when I moved to New York, I had to make a choice: was that 12x10 room going to be a living room or a dining room.
Being me, and loving food and dinner parties as I do, the choice was clear.
So here I am, years later in SF with a great deal more room, and my living room is so empty it echoes. Accordingly, I am on the hunt for furniture for the living room.
Since I tend to be a floor dweller, I am on the hunt for a wide, rustic coffee table. I'm talking the kind where you throw cushions on the floor and have big communal dinners around it.
Saw some amazing tables yesterday at Frog's Leap winery in Napa - made from reclaimed wood. The tables were gorgeous beyond belief (as was the winery itself - completely organic, with sustainably built buildings and amazing views.
-Heather... off to catch up on some sleep before GreenFest starts tonight...
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PHOTO ALBUMS
Posted by: quinns mom | November 10, 2006 at 01:24 PM