Division 12: Furnishings

Adden Furniture
www.addenfurniture.com
November 2005
A team of faculty members from RISD’s Furniture Design department teamed up to design the furnishings for the college’s dorm rooms at 15 Westminster street in downtown Providence. The Sage line includes a desk, chair, dining table, coffee table, end table, single bed, double bed, low loft bed, two styles of chests, upholstered chair, upholstered two-seater settee, and three-seater couch. The materials consist of bamboo, beech, sustainable 100 percent recycled polyester fabrics, and a new form of medium-density fiberboard made with non-toxic binders.

Allsteel
www.allsteel.com
March 2009 updated
Weighing in at 14 1/2 pounds, Nimble is lightweight and can stack up to 36-chairs-high on a cart and 12-high on the floor. Ideal for applications including cafeterias, meeting rooms, libraries, the 100 percent recyclable polypropylene shell is contoured to fit the body, and the back flexes responsively to shifts in seating posture.

The Stride furniture system is made of integrated kit of parts that creates both open plan or private office spaces with traditional panel-based or light-scale desking. Equally suited for reception, customer service, or executive suite areas, Stride’s storage units come in a choice of painted wood (shown). Stride is made up of 46 percent recycled material and is over 90 percent recyclable and meets Cradle-to-Cradle certification.

American Seating
www.americanseating.com
April 2005
American Seating and Steelcase have launched the Cachet Swing-Away, an ergonomic fixed lecture series product for the education market. The height-adjustable, fully articulating Swing-Away automatically self-centers and is available with optional cushions for seat and back. The Cachet Swing-Away is 99 percent recyclable by weight and is GreenGuard indoor air quality certified.

Azcast
www.azcast.com
May 2004
Azcast is an offshoot of a multi-generation, family-run aluminum foundry that creates hand-molded, hand-poured, and hand-finished furniture and accessories out of recycled sand-cast aluminum.

Baltix Furniture
www.baltix.com
March 2003
Baltix manufactures mobile workstation furniture using recycled materials such as glass, plastic, boiler tubes, foam, and car tires, as well as organic materials such as wheatboard, strawboard, sunflowerboard, industrialhemp, and linoleum.

Berkeley Mills
www.BerkeleyMills.com
April 2006
Berkeley Mills' latest offering, the Madera Kitchen, is made of sustainably harvested cherry, certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The company's ecological practices include using solid wood and solid wood ply, in contrast to other cabinet makers who rely on particle board and MDF, both of which often contain large amounts of off-gas from urea formaldehyde. Other ecology minded wood options are also available, including Australian jarrah, bamboo, and maple.

Burlington Contract Fabrics
www.BurlingtonContractFabrics.com
April 2004
Burlington Contract Fabrics, a unit of Burlington Industries, offers a line of upholstery for commercial and corporate seating as well as panels. The new Environ fabric, engineered from reclaimed or recycled materials that would have otherwise ended up in landfills, is well suited for markets where polyester products are currently used for panel and upholstery and exceed industry standards for quality and performance. Available in 54'' width for seating needs and 66'' for panels.

July 2004
Burlington Contract Fabrics’ (BCF) new Environ fabric, is engineered from post-industrial textile chip and is suited for applications where polyester products are currently used for panel and upholstery. One of the newest products from BCF featuring Environ technology is ProKnit, a knitted, layered panel fabric and upholstery based on a technology once confined to the apparel performance industry.

Cemusa
www.cemusany.com
December 2007
Grimshaw Architects developed the design for 330 newsstands and 3,300 glass and steel bus stops being installed by Cemusa throughout New York City. 20 automatic public toilets are also planned. Cemusa plans to recycle the old structures as well as the stainless steel and glass components of the new street furnishings at the end of their life cycle.

CF Stinson
www.cfstinson.com
October 2010
Jane Wicks designed the five spirited patterns of Jazz, a Cradle to Cradle Silver—certified upholstery collection woven from postconsumer recycled polyester. The yarn is embedded with Agion, an integrated antimicrobial that — unlike topical treatments — offers continuous resistance to microbes and bacteria throughout the product’s 100,000-plus-double-rubs lifespan. Offering high resistance to fading, the product is bleach cleanable and features GreenShield nanotechnology soil/stain protection

Conrad
www.conradshades.com
December 2005
Inspired by the natural world, Conrad’s new Landscapes collection comes in over 80 weaves made of renewable natural fibers, including arrowroot, natural flax, and bamboo shoot skin. The translucent shades can be customized to fit nearly any application.

Convia
www.hmconvia.com
January 2007
Convia, a new Herman Miller company, has introduced the Convia Programmable Infrastructure, a modular and programmable electrical infrastructure that delivers ³plug and play² power virtually anywhere within a commercial space without requiring hardwiring of devices or switches. Using infrared technology via a secure, remote control wand, users can control any off-the-shelf electrical or electronic devices that are plugged into Convia¹s system connectors. According to the manufacturer, this can be achieved with installation costs at or below standard wiring, and life cycle costs that are a fraction of the cost of traditional electric.

Crypton
www.cryptonfabric.com
October 2006
Crypton Super Fabrics introduces Crypton Green, the only performance fabric that can claim certifications from both Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) and MBDC. Crypton underwent rigorous testing by MBDC, whose benchmarking process involves the redesign of products and the selection of materials for healthy, cradle-to-cradle lifecycles. The Cradle-to-Cradle certification assesses the ingredients within the product and their human health and environmental attributes, based on available scientific data.

Crypton is the first high-performance textile process to be Cradle-to-Cradle certified. The first Crypton Green collection will be available through Momentum, made from 100% recycled polyester.

Dedon Furniture
www.janusetcie.com
June 2006
Dedon furniture is handwoven in the Philippines in Hularo, a washable, non-toxic, and 100 percent recyclable polyethylene fiber developed by company founder Bobby Dekeyser. Dedon¹s pieces range from otherworldly to comfortably familiar‹as seen in Obelisk and Hemisphere, two recent introductions. Designer Frank Ligthart was inspired by the ancient standing stones of Carnac, France to create Obelisk, an 8'-tall structure formed by stacking four chairs and a table together. Hemisphere, designed by Richard Frinier, includes seating, tables, and a footstool with a more subtle surprise‹several pieces swivel to allow for multiple views.

Designtex
www.dtex.com
December 2005
Ingeo, a textile from Designtex, is a truly closed-loop sustainable product. The fabric is made from corn kernels and thus is safely biodegradable at the end of its useful life. Designtex has introduced three versions of the fabric: Masa, Tamale, and Empanada.

Designtex has also produced another environmentally-friendly product: Eco-Intelligent Polyester. The product is manufactured without the use of heavy metals, assuring that it will be suitable for reclamation at the end of its useful life.

Diamond Teak
www.diamondteak.com
May 2004
Diamond Teak's award-winning Spirit Song collection of outdoor furniture is made of solid plantation teak from Costa Rica, where the company has planted tens of thousands of native trees certified by the Forestry Stewardship Council.

Elucidesign
www.elucidesign.com
July 2007
Founded by Sef Pinney as an outlet for 3D, graphic, and fiber-based creative endeavors, Elucidesign set up its product design studio/shop in Williamsburg in 2005. The studio seeks to develop furniture prototypes that prioritize functionality, ergonomics, and materials while not sacrificing sustainability. To meet those needs, they use materials with low embodied energy, water-based, non-toxic finishes, and FSC or domestic woods from managed forests. Their Redpoint collection, which includes three tables, a desk, and a cabinet, is also portable.

Emeco
www.emeco.com
February 2011
When Coca-Cola challenged Emeco to re-create the aluminum Navy chair out of recycled plastic bottles, the two companies teamed with BASF to develop a formula that would be strong enough for commercial use. The resulting material — 65% rPET and 35% glass fiber and pigment — is the first rPET chair to pass BIFMA and CA 133. Each chair is made with at least 111 recycled Coca-Cola plastic bottles. 

Forms+Surfaces
www.forms-surfaces.com
November 2007
The Transit receptacle from Forms+Surfaces was developed to meet the rigorous demands of high-traffic public environments including airports, train and bus terminals, and university campuses. The receptacle¹s space-saving design incorporates three separate openings and three independent internal compartments for collecting litter, paper, and beverage containers. The unit¹s stainless steel components have a recycled content ranging from 70 to 85 percent. All components including liners are fully recyclable.

Fossil Faux Furniture
www.customfurnituredesign.com
September 2001
Artist Marcia Stuermer's “bits” line of furniture, screens, and hardware, is made of translucent resin, recycled computer
components, botanical elements, and/or custom embedments. The Relica product line is made from hand-carved Trupan MDF from
sustainable sources and recycled computer circuit boards.

Gone Rural
www.goneruralswazi.com
September 2006
This year the SIDIM trade show in Montreal featured a special section devoted to African design. Among the showcased designers was Gone Rural, a cooperative based in the Kingdom of Swaziland that is committed to empowering rural Swazi women by creating a regular income for them. The women use traditional hand-weaving skills to produce a range of colorful tableware including place mats, coasters, and centerpieces, as well as wall hangings and rugs. All are made using local and sustainable materials, including hand-dyed grass.

Guilford of Maine
www.terratex.com
Terratex fabric is 100 percent recycled plastics and is designed for recyclability at the end of its useful life. 800/544-0200.

Haworth
www.haworth.com
updated June 2005
Haworth is helping the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) in Washington, D.C., meet its own stringent guidelines for LEED CI (commercial interiors) certification with furniture and movable walls from both Haworth and its subsidiary, SMED. Some of the furniture choices meant using wheat-board instead of the industry standard MDF or particleboard. USGBC also chose FSC certified cherry veneer for SMED’s wood casegoods.

Haworth introduces six new proprietary systems fabrics to its Surface Collection.  All six are made from 100% recycled polyester, and five have received both Terratex and Green-e designations.The new fabric designs range from complex textures to mid-century-influenced designs to a pattern whose creation was inspired by the abstract expressionist artwork of Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning. With these new “green” additions, Haworth now offers 16 systems fabrics in 100% recycled polyester.This comprises nearly 57% of Haworth’s proprietary systems fabric offering.

The Zody chair, from Haworth, introduces an asymmetrical lumbar support system resulting from a joint study between the manufacturer and The Human Performance Institute of Western Michigan University. The only task chair on the market to provide asymmetrical lumbar support without forward displacement, Zody is based on a cradle-to-cradle design protocol. Assembled using 100 percent wind power, Zody features materials that contain up to 48 percent recycled content and are 98 percent recyclable at the end of the chair’s life.

updated August 2006
Haworth¹s Patterns product collection spans from systems furniture to private offices to architecture. Designed by Studio & Partners in Milan and Haworth¹s Design Studio, the collection is offered in a variety of heights, can be easily reconfigured, and also includes studio tables, benches, and file wrappers. Patterns inspired Haworth designer Joey Ruiter to create Spool, a complimenting work stool made for indoor and outdoor environments.

Spool¹s aluminum components contain a minimum of 25 percent recycled content and all components are 100 percent recyclable. Both Patterns and Stool are in the process of being Greenguard certified.

HBF
www.hbf.com
January 2002
HBF now offers the EcoStone material as a top option for the Chart Table. Made of recycled newsprint and soybean flour in a water-free process, EcoStone is a renewable agricultural resource that looks like stone but fabricates like wood. A urethane-based resin fuses EcoStone's components, leaving the material free of formaldehyde and all VOCs. When the boards are trimmed, scraps are reground and used in future production.

Henry Hall Designs
www.henryhalldesigns.com
February 2005
The Pure Sofa collection is an outdoor modular lounge system from Henry Hall composed of a sofa, club chair, and a slatted top coffee table that can double as an ottoman. After introducing several outdoor collections featuring other materials including synthetic resin, Henry Hall has returned to teak wood, and the frame is made solely from this plantation-grown wood.

Herman Miller
www.hermanmiller.com
June 2006 updated
Herman Miller now offers an upholstered-back option to its Mirra office chair. Mirra’s new upholstery fabric, Latitude, is placed on the front of the backrest with a trim piece around the periphery. Latitude’s spacer-knit technology provides a cushion-like feeling for the user to sink into without the use of foam. The fabric comes in 17 colors and is made from polyester that is 100 percent recyclable at the end of its useful life.

According to My Studio designer Douglas Ball, his new system for Herman Miller is not a cubicle but ³an enclosure that makes people feel good.² Designed specifically to attract and support ³knowledge workers²‹highly creative and independent employees that are in high demand‹My Studio features an inverted systems landscape where the high walls are on the aisle side and the shortest walls are at the back, fostering conversations between people who work closer together. Best of all, it offers the most coveted feature of a private office‹a door. My Studio is the first system designed according to the McDonough-Braungart Cradle-to-Cradle protocol. It consists of 74 percent recyclable components, is made from 28 percent recycled materials, and is GreenGuard certified.

hermanmiller.com/sayl
June 2011 updated
Designed by Yves Béhar, the Sayl Chair features an “eco-dematerialised” design that uses fewer materials and reduces weight and volume. SAYL’s flexible elastomer suspension back eliminates hard edges and the need for a frame. Part of Herman Miller’s Thrive portfolio, the chair comes in a 90 percent recyclable suspension back or an 86 percent recyclable upholstered work-chair version.

Horst Inc.
www.sevengroup.com
800/324-8187
February 2001 updated
The Veg Table, designed by Horst, Inc., features tabletops made from Environ, a soy-based product free of petrochemical binders. Tables are offered with wheat-straw tops and other agricultural by-products.

Hunter Douglas Contract
www.hunterdouglascontract.com
September 2004
The GreenScreen line of PVC-free solar shading fabrics are designed for both internal and external contract roller shades and solar control systems. Constructed of polyurethane and a pre-stretched polyester core, GreenScreen is available in five levels of openness ranging from blackout to 25 percent. The fabrics are also FR rated, meeting the strictest standards of North America and Europe. Distributed through Nysan Shading Systems, a Hunter Douglas company, GreenScreen has been installed on several recent projects, including the new headquarters of Wind NRG Partners in Vermont.

ICF
www.icfgroup.com
January 2001
The Talon Chair, designed by Bang Design in Australia, is the first large-scale, affordable use of carbon fiber for furniture. Unlike fiberglass, carbon fiber can be economically recycled into other less complex molded forms.

ICF Group
www.unikavaev.com
March 2004
All three upholstery fabrics in Unika Vaev’s new Venture Collection are made from 100 percent recycled polyester, produced from post-industrial recycled chips. Insight is a “effervescent” design of variously sized circles; Gizmo, woven from a bouclé yarn, features a “technological” pattern; and Mindscape has a texture that works as an alternative to a solid or a pattern. The patterns are designed by Unika Vaev’s V.P. of Design, Dorothy Cosonas.

Instyle Contract Textiles
www.instylecontracttextiles.com
February 2005
LIFE (Low Impact For the Environment)Textiles, now available in the United States, specifically source rapidly renewable and sustainable natural resources including Australian and New Zealand eco wool (low pesticide residue levels) and organic wool. No heavy metal dyes or dyes that are carcinogenic, mutagenic, or toxic to reproduction, are used. Additives utilized in the production process, such as detergents and lubricants, are biodegradable. According to the manufacturer, the textiles benefit indoor air quality as wool has the ability to absorb prevalent indoor air contaminants, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and formaldehyde. No flame retardants are required, as wool is also inherently fire retardant. LIFE Textiles meets or exceeds ACT performance requirements and are reusable, recyclable, or biodegradable. The first two textiles released in the LIFE Textiles collection are Balance, a 100% Australian and New Zealand eco-wool upholstery textile and Planet, a 100% Australian worsted certified organic wool upholstery textile.

Interface Fabrics Group
www.terratex.com
August 2001
Terratex-classified fabrics from Interface Fabrics Group are recyclable and made from 100 percent recycled or compostable materials using an increasingly sustainable manufacturing processes that reduces water waste, air pollution, and electrical consumption. Some fabrics include ReSKU, (made of reclaimed wool products), some are made out of post-consumer polyester derived from pop bottles or post-industrial polyester from recycled PET chips, while others collections are "bio-based" (derived from corn, rice, or beets). Terratex-classified fabrics are available from many leading furniture manufacturers and fabric suppliers.

Iannone
www.iannonedesign.com
September 2007
Philly-based furniture company Iannone has built its 2007 product line around a core material‹FSC-certified birch plywood. In addition to being harvested from managed forests, the plywood is formaldehyde-free, finished with a low-emission UV-cured topcoat, and is rotary cut, a process that can yield the most veneer from a log. The furniture exteriors incorporate an array of green materials including Kirei board (made from the reclaimed stalks of the sorghum plant), bamboo, cork, veneered plywood, and hardwoods from managed forests. Shown above is the Signature 1.0 Console, made of bamboo and solid ash doors and the Dandelion Tall Graphic Console featuring a Kirei and gloss white laminate front.

Keilhauer
http://www.keilhauer.com
November 2005 updated
The Gym stacking chair is made from recycled materials and has a totally recyclable steel frame.

The Olo chair, designed by Andrew Jones for Keilhauer, is a sculptural reinterpretation of the molded plastic tub side chair. Choices include two heights, conference or lounge, with either a 4-legged base or a sled base, both in chromed steel. Seat choices include a matching solid polypropylene seat or an upholstered polyurethane foam seat cushion in colors including spring, earth, lilac, sky, frost, white, and soft black, in either translucent or solid. Keilhauer uses recycled materials or raw materials from sustainable sources to create its products, and strives to minimize or eliminate waste and emissions from the manufacturing process.

KI
www.ki.com
November 2005
The Japan Environmental Association recently awarded Eco Mark environmental certification to KI’s Daylight stack chair. The Japanese government regulates that to be ecologically responsible, at least 10 percent of a product’s plastic weight must be from recycled material: Daylight’s recycled components comprise 93 percent of the total plastic weight of the chair. The polypropylene plastic frame for the seat and back is made of 100 percent recycled plastic from car batteries, while the legs are made of 100 percent recyclable steel.

Lamin-Art
www.laminart.com
September 2006
Abacá, a new line of decorative laminate surfaces from Lamin-Art, is manufactured using recycled banana fibers and kraft paper and contains approximately 40 percent post-industrial recovered content. Named for a species of banana harvested primarily for its fiber used in the production of rope and twine, Abacá recycles residues from banana harvesting into an organic looking high-pressure decorative laminate. The fibers are sprinkled over an array of background colors to yield a random, non-directional design and texture. Suitable for both horizontal and vertical applications, the line comes in 10 natural hues in 4' x 10' sheets, and a standard thickness of .048''.

Lammhults/ICF
www.icfsource.com
December 2005
The Imprint chair, awarded the Best of NeoCon Innovation Award last June, is made of CelluPress, a mold mat of compressed wood that has technical performance and design detailing at zero environmental cost.

Landscape Forms
www.landscapeforms.com
December 2000
Kipp Stewart designed the Arcata bench with parks, riverfronts, and corporate or university campuses in mind. The cantilevered arch benches are available in backless or backed (with arms) options in select hardwoods or Polysite recycled plastic timbers.

Lulan Artisans
www.lulan.com
December 2008
Made of 100 percent handwoven silk, the Curvilinear fabric from Lulan Aristans’ Organic Symmetry collection is handwoven by master weavers using centuries-old-techniques. The fabrics are hand-colored with natural or low-impact dyes with the use of all natural materials. Founded by Eve Blossom (a trained architect), the primary goal of Lulan Artisans is to create economically viable livelihoods and improved quality of life for its artisan and their families and villages.

Maharam
www.maharam.com
April 2002
In response to the increased demand for environmentally responsible products, Maharam has introduced the Content series, a grouping of six textile designs engineered and manufactured to reduce environmental impact. Woven of 100 percent worsted wool, all six patterns feature subtle weave changes and an extensive color palette ranging from neutrals to brights.

Mechoshade Systems
www.mechoshade.com
August 2004
After six years in development, MechoShade Systems has launched the EcoVeil solar shade cloth, created with assistance from the sustainable product development firm MBDC. Incorporating a new material constructed with a thermoplastic olefin-based yarn called EarthTex, EcoVeil can be recycled into new shade cloth as well as other EarthTex-based products, a process made easier once Mechoshade implements a planned “take back” program for the shades. EcoVeil’s coating, or “jacket”, is essentially the same polymer as the core yarn, which allows it to be melted down, reprocessed, and made into new product. Traditionally, solar shade cloths are hybrids of a PVC jacket and fiberglass or polyester core yarns, which are combined into an unusable “muddy hybrid” that cannot be separated for reuse.

Energy conserving MechoShades and ElectroShades shadecloths improve interior environments with solar protection, greater use of natural light, and energy savings without compromising outdoor views. Installation options include manual chain-driven shades for a single windows, motorized mid-window alignment systems for a curtain walls, multi-zone shading control system for a entire office, and computerized solar tracking systems for the entire buildings.

Metropolitan Furniture
www.metrofurniture.com
August 2006
Metro¹s Poly family of seating features side and swivel chairs, a lounge, and an ottoman ideal for reception and lounge areas, enclaves, and both formal and informal meeting spaces. The Poly side chairs offer a pull-up seating alternative and are available with two base options: four-leg and sled. The grouping is created through the bonding of non-woven PET (polyethylene terepthalate) fiber and a 100 percent recycled polyester fabric, creating a structural shell that is entirely recyclable. Metal components are finished with a VOC-free abrasion-resistant powder coating. Assembled together, the seating components are comprised of over 25 percent recycled content by weight.

Milliken Carpet
www.millikencarpetsamplestudio.com
April 2005
Theory is a new modular, renewable carpet collection by Milliken Carpet and Cannon Design for educational interiors. With names like Dewey, Mad Professor, Pop Quiz, and Eureka, the patterns range from loose, organic “thoughts” to definite structures. Seven colorways range from light to dark, drawing inspiration from campus architecture, the classroom, and the energy of student life. The patterns are available in various scales to help designers coordinate spaces as small as student dorm rooms and as large as auditoriums.

Modern Outdoor
www.modernoutdoor.com
August 2004
All of the pieces in Modern Outdoor’s furniture line are made from electropolished stainless steel, natural composite resin-infused paper surfaces, and Forest Stewardship Council-certified Ipe, a Brazilian hardwood that is three times as hard as teak. Three distinct lines comprise the collection, and each is suited for residential, hospitality, or public spaces. The Etra line, with its larger plank style, includes a table, bench, chaise lounge, trolley cart, and four chairs; Kenjii, which features smooth slate-like black tops, includes a table, bench, and planter; and Talt, with its low back aesthetic, includes tables, benches, a chair, side table, chaise lounge, and trolley cart.

Nysan Solar Control
www.nysan.com
November 2008
Metal backing added Nysan Solar Control, a division of Hunter Douglas Contract, has added a metalized backing to the company’s GreenScreen PVC-free solar shading fabric designed for internal and external contract roller shades and Solar Control systems. GreenScreen Platinum’s metalized finish helps reduce solar gain and glare while increasing outward visibility, and comes in four new colorways: Charcoal, Bronze, Pewter, and Pearl.

O Ecotextiles
www.oecotextiles.com
December 2008
A good hand to it Produced in living-wage environments, O Ecotextiles are made from 100 percent organic cotton or other sustainably grown fibers including hemp, silk, and bamboo. The manufacturing process eliminates the use of a range of hazardous substances and produces wastewater safe for aquatic life.

Olive Designs
www.olivedesigns.net
March 2003
Olive Designs incorporates many organic or recycled materials into its contract designs including recycled textiles, hemp textiles, recycled glass, salvage glass, and wheatboard. Olive uses formaldehyde-free glue in the wood lamination process in the production of seating, a waterborne finish or hybrid water system, and powdercoat and chrome-plated finishes are used for metal frames. Olive Designs is associated with ametal-plating company that meets the stringent EPA standard. In addition, the metal-plater recycles its nickel waste.

Palo Samko Woodworker
www.palosamko.com
September 2006
Environmentally-friendly products, made of recycled materials that reflected the local area's modern, urban aesthetic, stole the show. Palo Samko is a woodworker whose three-year-old company debuted two lines of eco-friendly furniture this year. His Walnut Line is composed of chairs, cabinets, and tables made of walnut wood. These forms allude to the sleek lines of mid-century furniture but have a softer, less-industrial look to them. His Recycled Line is made from scraps found on construction sites. Using plywood, old construction beams, and railway beams, Samko renders these unsophisticated materials as polished desks, benches, and lamps that ironically convey both urban grit and refinement.

Poesis Design
www.poesisdesign.com
March 2004
Poesis is a husband and wife architecture firm/furniture design studio whose pieces can be found at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and in private collections. The firm’s new Pulp chair is made of recycled newspaper blended with water and wax in a formaldehyde-free, closed loop system. The sides are sanded to a velvety texture and trimmed with maple or walnut.

Robert Brandegee Designs
www.robertbrandegeedesigns.com
March 2001
The Logjam line of furniture, from Brandegee Designs, originates from hand-hewn logs and joists from deteriorating 18th and 19th century Pennsylvania log cabins and barns. The natural colors and rough textures of the wood pieces are paired against the polished glass and stone, steel, canvas, and leather used for table tops and other parts. The Thicket Bed (above) is one of 30 standard designs, including dining, conference, and coffee tables, consoles, sofas, bookcases and other pieces.

Safe Solutions, LLC
970/247-3333
Safe Solutions designs and manufactures furniture from waste wood, recycled pallets, and building materials.

Scrapile
www.thefutureperfect.com
September 2004
The creativity of Brooklyn was on display at Brooklyn Designs 2004, held in the borough from April 30-May 2nd. Presented by the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, the show featured contemporary furniture, lighting, rugs, and accessories. The strongest work at the show was from wood-working companies including Scrapile, a collaboration of designers who reshape scraps of wood from local shops to form one-of-a-kind furniture pieces, including a colorful shelf.

Skyline Design
www.skydesign.com
December 2007
Skyline Design¹s Greenplay furnishings for children are made with environmentally-responsible and healthy materials and finishes, including post-consumer recycled plastic, sunflower hulls, and FSC-certified wood. Skyline Design also accepts outgrown Greenplay components for repurposing and donation.

Sonrisa Furniture
www.sonrisafurniture.com
December 2000
Sonrisa has salvaged school lockers from demolition sites and auctions in order to convert them into toy storage and office organizers. The lockers can be left in their original finishings or re-enameled.

Steelcase
http://www.steelcase.com
updated December 2008
Two years in the making, the Environmental Impact Collection of colorful seating and panel fabrics offers nine products that exceed Association of Contact Textiles standards for quality and performance. The sustainable manufacturing processes used in the production of the textiles reduce energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, waste sent to landfills, process water consumption, and consumption of petroleum. No fabric in the collection requires the chemical backing typically used to adhere fabric to the final seating or panel systems. This eliminates a key hurdle in making contract textiles recyclable in the future—a central goal of the fabric's creators at Steelcase and DesignTex. The LEED specification program will soon provide credits for projects that include sustainable textiles.

Steelcase’s new midpriced office chair, Think, is designed with a three-part “brain”; flexors that adapt to the user’s movements; a reclining mechanism that creates resistance proportional to the user’s individual weight; and an adjustable back selector. The company worked with McDonough Braunguart Design Chemistry to give the chair a “conscience,” as well. Comprised of 98 percent recyclable content and up to 50 percent recycled material, Think is the greenest office chair on the market to date.

Steelcase's Montage systems product (with the exception of wood options) was awarded GREENGUARD Certification.  GREENGUARD is the world’s only guide to third-party certified low emitting interior products and building materials. To receive certification, the product was tested according to the organization’s rigorous standards for low-emitting products. 

Montage is a stackable frame and tile system solution of off-module panels, worksurfaces, storage, and hinged pocket doors for additional privacy. In addition to the Montage, eight additional Steelcase product lines were GREENGUARD Certified in November 2004 and the majority of Steelcase branded seating product lines were GREENGUARD Certified in February 2004.

Designed by London-based PearsonLloyd in conjunction with Steelcase Design Studio, the Cradle-to-Cradle certified cobi office chair features a weight-activated mechanism, flexible seat pan, and elastomeric top edge that gives way when you sling an arm across it.

Sun Tunnel Systems
www.suntunnel.com
March 2001
Solar Screens block out up to 90 percent of the sun's ultraviolet rays and reduce room temperature up to 20 degrees.

Teknion Corporation
www.teknion.com
August 2004
Teknion Corporation has received Chain-of-Custody (Coc) certification from The Forest Stewardship Council for its Toronto-based facilities. Chain-of-Custody certification applies to Teknion furniture made from veneer, MDF, and particleboard harvested from forests designated by FSC to be responsibly managed. CoC is the process by which the wood source is verified by FSC to be a responsibly managed forest. In order for products originating from certified sources to be eligible to carry the FSC trade mark, wood must be tracked from the forest through all steps of the production process until it reached the end user.

Textus
www.interfacefabricsgroups.com
November 2001
Textus offers three vertical surface Terratex fabrics for use on furniture systems, as wrapped panels, or wall covering. Terratex is a family of ecologically conscious fabrics produced by Interface. Terratex products are manufactured with continuously improving methods to reduce waste, emissions, energy, and water usage.

Trend USA
www.trendgroup-usa.com
November 2007
Trend Q is a new engineered stone product for all residential and commercial surface applications, including walls, floors, and countertops. Manufactured in the U.S., Trend Q contains up to 72 percent post consumer recycled content and is impervious to stains and fading. The 1Ž4''-thick surface is available from 12'' tiles to custom-sized panels and can be installed over existing surfaces. The recycled glass and quartzite particles are suspended in a pigmented polymer base creating saturated color and depth.

Uhuru Design
www.uhurudesign.com
September 2006
Like many of the exhibitors at Brooklyn Designs, Uhuru Design stresses its commitment to the environment in its products. Most of the pieces in its BK Collection are made with recycled or reclaimed materials, ranging from hardwood scraps used for a coatrack to a medical I.V. stand reconfigured for a lamp. The 48''-square Bird Table exemplifies Uhuru¹s funky aesthetic. The coffee table¹s steel frame is blackened with a patina and sealed with a wax finish while the top comes in either walnut or cerused white oak. A 1Ž4'' reveal between the base and the top causes the top to appear to float.

Victor Innovatex
http://www.victor-innovatex.com
September 2005 updated
The Present in Nature collection integrates the Cradle-to-Cradle design protocol of Victor's Eco Intelligent Polyester to create complementary seating fabrics for office interiors. Eco Intelligent polyester is a “technical nutrient” textile—a material that remains in a closed-loop system of manufacture, reuse, and recovery, maintaining its value through many product life cycles. Also this first antimony-free polyester, uses fully optimized dyes and chemicals, and is free of chlorine and PBTs. All Eco Intelligent polyester fabrics have achieved Level Four status on the McDonough Braungart Chemistry Design (MDBC) optimization scale for eco-effectiveness. They are safely and perpetually recyclable, and are produced with renewable energy.

Mardi Gras, the latest Eco Intelligent Polyester seating fabric, is an environmentally safe product jointly developed by Canadian contract textile manufacturer Victor Innovatex and McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC) using a new antimony-free catalyst. Mardi Gras meets MBDC’s Level 4 protocol for eco-effectiveness, and is designed for optimal value recovery with closed-loop systems. The seating fabric, which features a flower motif, is available in 12 colors exclusively by Teknion.

VT Industries
www.vtindustries.com
September 2006
VT Industries has introduced the EQ countertop that uses water-based adhesives, Greenguard indoor air quality certified laminates, and no added urea-formaldehyde particleboard core. The countertop contributes toward achieving credits under LEED and the NAHB Green Home Building guidelines for residential projects. Low-emitting particleboard will be stocked on the floor of VT manufacturing plants, making it readily available. Typically, countertops featuring this particleboard will require no additional lead time, although architects and specifiers should allow extra time for large orders.