Furnishings go green: Furniture for environmentally sensitive consumers

October 25, 2007 | By hempsister In Organic Textiles, Recycling, Green Sites, Green Products, Conservation, Sustainability |

Eco-friendlier furniture, refreshing bold-colored fabrics and designs inspired by the art deco movement of the 1930s ruled at the International Home Furnishings Market held last week in High Point, N.C.

A throng of manufacturers - moved by environmentally sensitive consumers - rolled out sofas and casegoods featuring renewable materials and earth-friendly fibers, creating pieces to suit people’s varying styles, tastes and budgets.

“Furniture manufacturers take environmental responsibility very seriously,” said Jackie Hirschhaut, vice president of the American Home Furnishings Alliance, in a news release about the growing trend. “We’re really proud of the amazing selection of ‘green’ furniture debuting this market. From classic to contemporary and everything in between, there’s an impressive wave of eco-friendly furnishings that will be hitting stores this spring.”

A sprinkling of local designers and buyers who attended last week’s market said “green” was the buzz word in showrooms throughout the furniture mecca.

“There is such a thrust on green,” said interior designer Kimberly Grigg with Knotting Hill Interiors in Myrtle Beach. “The good of it is there is an awareness of [green furniture]. The bad of it is that it’s all extremely confusing. . . We’re going to have to know what green means.”

According to the AHFA, green products feature upholstered introductions featuring recycled, organic and chemically free covers, frames and foam. It means using non-toxic finishes and products made of woods from sustainable forests.

Nancy Doss with Designit of Myrtle Beach was impressed with Vaughn-Bassett’s collection of wood furnishings and their efforts to become more environmentally friendly.

“For every tree they cut down, they plant another tree,” Doss said. “They are committed to planting 150,000 seedlings a year. Isn’t that awesome? I think people don’t feel so bad about buying all wood furniture if they know they’re replanting. Hopefully, it will get people buying from the U.S.”

Design consultant Elizabeth Scott with J&K Furniture said that while the push for green furniture helps make people more environmentally conscious, consumers need to also realize many of the products still feature man-made details.

“When you see orange dye on a pillow, it’s not green,” Scott said. “If you want a lot of color, it’s not going to be a green product. … We’ve seen a lot of green mixed with man-made things. It’s good to a certain extent.”

Manufacturers are striving for ways to create greener furnishings, such as using natural-fiber upholstery fabrics and filling cushions with fibers spun with recycled plastics.

The newest line of green furniture wasn’t the only trend that impressed designers. Art deco-inspired pieces, featuring luxurious upholstered fabrics, fluffy pillows and glamorous styling, had designers and buyers hearkening back to early Hollywood.

“I was wowed,” Doss said about the latest wave. “A lot of people hung on to things. I have a client telling me she’s going to pull things out of her closet that she’s hung on to from this era.”

Doss said she particularly liked the art deco influence in children’s furnishings, such as the round cribs and crown pieces that allow fabric to cascade down over the crib.

The designers also observed a shift from the safe neutrals, the browns and grays, to bolder hues this market, which they believe speaks to people’s changing attitudes.

“It’s a little bit refreshing to see we’re coming out of the neutrals and we’re seeing pops of color,” Grigg said. “Trends follow the economy. When the economy was playing it safe, we saw lots of grays and browns. This resurgence of bolder colors, contemporary and trendier, we take that as a good sign. I saw it as people are feeling a little more hopeful.”

While brown is a comfort color, the deep, rich chocolate brown shade appears to have lasting power as it seemed to be everywhere at market.

“It is probably a classic,” Grigg said. “But I think maybe, for the first time, we’re getting away from the pale aqua combined with the chocolate brown. We’re seeing more intense colors, a resurgence of prettier jeweled tones, true colors.”

Other popular colors at market were various shades of purple, a more intense blue shade, much like cobalt, and black and white with pops of color. Doss also was impressed with the expanse of colors available in leather goods, such as crushed tango, salsa and robin’s egg blue.

Colors follow fashion, the designers pointed out.

“It’s kind of like a woman’s closet,” Scott said. “Whatever she’s buying, it will show up in the market. We’re very much connected to fashion in that sense.”

Here’s a peek at what some manufacturers debuted at the fall market in the green line, according to a news release:

Harden Furniture’s Cabinetmaker’s Cherry collection features hand-hewn, solid cherry casegoods and complimentary upholstered pieces made with recycled, organic and chemical-free covers, frames and foam.

Groovystuff’s Drifter collection is crafted from reclaimed teak wood, becoming the first in the industry to be certified by SmartWood Rediscovered, a program that verifies the sourcing and handling of recovered wood.

Vaughn-Basset, known for its line of wooden, adult bedroom furnishings, has committed to a reforestation program, contributing 150,000 maple, oak, pine, poplar, ash and applewood seedlings to replace every tree it used each year.

Bernhardt debuted its first green line, a collection of casegoods that feature natural elements, such as sea urchin shells, textured recycled glass, coco twigs and woven fiber.

Rowe’s two new cushions and 21 new fabrics made of 100 percent natural-fiber fabrics earns the upholstery manufacturer points for becoming more environmentally sensitive. The Eco-300CC is a foam cushion devoid of most of the traditional, petroleum-based materials and filled instead with renewable, plant-based materials. It also features the Eco-Down cushion made of recycled fibers with a feather and down blend.

C.R. Laine’s contribution includes its “down2earth” collection of world-friendly upholstery fabrics made from renewable fibers, soy-based foams and cushions made from post-consumer fibers. It’s Patomac sofa can be fashioned with cotton upholstery fabric, springs made from recycled material and cushions manufactured using emission-free, halogen-free fire retardant technologies.

To find a retailer who carries the furniture you like, visit the American Home Furnishings Alliance at www.findyour furniture.com.