sustainable furniture Archives

A shift to a greener and more sustainable lifestyle has never been more necessary. According to a PwC survey, 85% of consumers are experiencing the adverse effects of climate change, which is why more than four-fifths of shoppers are now prioritizing sustainable consumption and practices. These include buying recycled items, using sustainable or natural materials, and upcycling reusable objects instead of throwing them away.

We’re also seeing a shift in sustainable practices in homes, particularly kitchens and dining rooms. Take Vienna-based architect Ivana Steiner’s sustainable kitchen, which boasts built-in composting, a tiny fridge, and an herb garden to promote functionality without producing too much waste. Although achieving a similar zero-waste cooking and dining area is ideal, you can start small, especially if you don’t have the budget or time to overhaul your space entirely. That said, here are simple but effective strategies for a more sustainable dining room:

Choose a dining table set with a bench

One way of setting up a sustainable dining space is by choosing multifunctional and sustainable pieces like a dining table set with a bench that takes up less space than chairs and can be used for sitting and storage. Try a dining set with a bench like the Elle Brown Dining Table or the Kendall Black Dining Table on Living Spaces, which can accommodate six people.

These dining sets are made of acacia, a highly sustainable wood source that can last for generations when properly maintained, helping you reduce furniture waste. Choosing table sets made with natural and sustainable materials is a step in the right direction toward achieving an eco-friendly dining room.

Use cloth napkins

Once you’re done setting up your dining table, you can now focus on your tablescape essentials like napkins. Make sure to use reusable cloth napkins like those from My Drap, which can be washed and reused. Vogue sustainability editor Tonne Goodman recommended them as a reusable alternative to regular table napkins.

The mustard yellow napkins from Ichcha Yan are also a viable option since they’re made with organic cotton, guaranteeing a sustainable production process. When choosing which napkins to use for your dining room, choose sustainable and reusable cloth to help reduce paper towel waste. Even small steps like this can significantly reduce environmental impact in the long run.

Maximize natural and energy-saving lighting

You can place or reposition your dining space in a room that has big windows to help you maximize natural light and reduce energy consumption, especially during breakfasts and lunches. Alternatively, you can opt for overhead energy-saving lighting like LED light bulbs, which are considered more efficient and climate-friendly than incandescent options.

LEDs consume about eight watts of electricity, compared with incandescent bulbs that consume up to 60 watts. Check for lighting that has received the Energy Star certification to know whether your lighting fixture consumes less energy. LED lights from Craftmade and Hunter are some energy-efficient alternatives for your dining area.

Opt for sustainable rugs

Sustainability doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice aesthetics — it just means that you need to be more mindful about your choices. A rug underneath your dining table can prevent damage to your flooring or your dining set, as well as improve the overall look of the area. To help make your choice more eco-friendly, choose sustainable oriental rugs like those from S&HS Rugs, Inc. These mats have modern aesthetics that can elevate your dining room’s appearance. They’re also made through environmentally friendly production practices by using vegetable dyes and promoting the reusability of their old oriental carpets. You can customize your rug by choosing a preferred design and inputting the correct dimensions for your dining space.

Curating a sustainable dining room can be done through easy and simple changes. From using energy-efficient lighting to opting for naturally made and reusable materials, you can do your part in saving the environment one step at a time.

The plastic shell chair is iconic and ubiquitous, used at countless cafes and restaurants throughout the world. The simple form and ergonomic shape makes it practical and inexpensive to produce.

But what if you could keep the form but replace the plastic entirely, using sustainable materials? That’s the idea behind the Mat Chair, developed over a number of years by Foersom & Hiort-Lorenzen and produced by Norman Copenhagen.

With a variety of chair versions made from hemp or hemp + eelgrass, a type of seaweed, it’s clear that the materials have made a giant leap to be formed into strong, versatile furniture.

Both hemp and seaweed are easy to grow and absorb a lot of carbon. Neither require pesticides or fertilizers to grow, and have unique properties that make them good for forming into shapes for furniture.

Hemp fibers are processed and combined with a fully recyclable binder, and then pressed into a chair form. The familiar shape makes the chair approachable and familiar, even though it’s using entirely new materials.

“With innovation and circularity at its core, Mat is an exploration of how to create a contemporary shell chair with materials that have a lower environmental impact than the industry norm.

Designed by Danish design studio Foersom & Hiort-Lorenzen, this new chair design is the result of years of research and development. The shell of the Mat Chair is innovatively crafted using hemp and eelgrass, a type of seaweed. The materials constitute the very essence of the design.

Not only do the materials provide a more responsible product, they also play a key role in the aesthetic of the design, highlighting the natural beauty and tactility of the materials.”

-Normann Copenhagen

Using eelgrass that has washed up onto coastline of Denmark. The Mat chair that utilizes hemp + eelgrass has a darker look to its pattern.

We love that the familiar forms of the plastic shell chair have been reborn using materials that are much better for the environment.

Via DesignMilk: