As the world goes green and information on the benefits of environmental conversation reducing greenhouse gas emissions is widely understood and accepted, there is one front that most people fail to acknowledge as one of the most crucial when it comes to recycling – furniture. Sustainable furniture simply means furniture made from materials that are environmental friendly and may be or may not be recycled.
Environmental friendly furniture for home and office furnishings are designed and made based on the principle of using renewable or sustainable resources. These types of furniture have grown to become some of the most popular especially at this time when more and more people are embracing the idea of environmental conservation. There are many types of environmental friendly resources to use in making furniture and they can be forged into beautiful, cheap and reliable furniture through various non-damaging and non-wasteful techniques.
Recycled or reclaimed furniture and furniture made from sustainable materials are often very inexpensive, they are strong and durable, aesthetically beautiful and have played a significant role in the reduction of landfills and deforestation. Most of these furniture are made from wood reclaimed from demolished buildings, ships and other properties and other materials such as glass, plastics and metal which is re-milled and forged to make furniture. The best thing about sustainable furniture is that it not only helps reduce the cutting down of trees to make furniture but also leads to the making of furniture with interesting and long histories.
There are many considerations to factor in when considering recycling materials used to make furniture since these materials are often found in different forms, sizes, patterns, sizes, shapes and colors. One of the most important considerations is your lifestyle, design preferences, taste and the size of the room to furnish with the furniture. Another crucial consideration is where the furniture will be used for instance, not all reclaimed materials can make furniture to be used in a garden because of the harsh weather. Lastly, the material used to make the furniture and your budget are also crucial.
Types of Sustainable furniture
Here are the most popular sustainable materials that can be reclaimed and recycled to make furniture for home or office use.
a) Wood
Wood is the most ancient and the most common material used to make furniture today. This material can make furniture perfect for both indoor and outdoor use. The best thing about this material is that furniture made from it is light, reliable and very strong. There are two types of wood: softwood and hardwoods.
Softwoods are often derived from evergreen trees which are known to grow and mature faster, they are cheaper and much easier to cut and shape. Some of the most popular softwoods include Pine, Cedar, Piranha wood, Scots pine and Spruce.
Hardwoods are obtained from trees that shed their leaves during winter. These trees often grow gradually and may take as many as hundreds of years to mature. Their wood however are stronger, more reliable, expensive and more difficult to shape into furniture. Some of the most popular hardwoods include Oak, Mahogany, Maple, Cherry, Ash, Beech and Walnut.
b) Plastic
In the past, plastic was used to make only garden chairs, office and children’s furniture because they are known to be very portable and safe but flimsy. However, newer technologies have resulted in the creation of harder, more reliable and beautiful plastics.
Considering that they are strong even when light and that they can be stacked together in storage, plastic furniture are becoming very popular today. They can be classified into Thermoplastics which are known to be friendlier to the environment as they are easily recyclable and thermosets which are not recyclable.
c) Metal
Metals are known to be strong, reliable, durable and easy to transform into beautiful shapes and forms without breaking. Sustainable furniture can be made from scrap metal – at times in combination with wood – and the resulting furniture will be amazingly strong and beautiful.
The most popular metals to reclaim are aluminum, wrought iron and steel. Metallic characteristics that make it one of the best materials for sustainable furniture are:
- Furniture will survive for years without requiring a lot of maintenance.
- When properly cared for, they do not rust,
- They give a room a classic yet traditional look and feel.
- Metals are cheap to recycle.
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