Office Furniture - Sustainable and Eco-Friendly

Ola!!!!

As I prepare to start my Interior Design Diploma Program, I am starting to source
ECO-FRIENDLY/SUSTAINABLE FURNITURE.

My goal is to have a specialization in Commercial Spaces, which includes office environments.  I started looking at office furniture and learned that it should possess the following qualities:

• Healthy
• Eco-functional
• Affordable
• Refurbished
• Recycled
• No-VOC [Volatile Organic Compound]
• FSC Certified - [Forest Stewardship Council - FSC is a global forestry certification system established for forests and forest products.]

These caught my eye:

HERMAN MILLER MIRRA CHAIR

Herman Miller's Mirra chair is designed to give great back support without fussy adjustments. The innovative design also gives good ventilation, making sitters more comfortable.  Mirra comes in an assortment of appealing colors, and is certified to MBDC Cradle to Cradle Gold and Silver, depending on configuration, as well as Greenguard. Mirra can help your organization earn points for LEED certification. The chair is made to be easily disassembled for recycling at the end of use.

HAG by izzydesign

HAG's Sideways conference chair (pictured) just won a Gold Award from NeoCon World's Trade Fair 2008. The innovative chair, which allows 180-degree movement, is made from 72% recycled content (in the four-star base model) or 51% recycled content (stackable model). The components of both models are 98% recyclable.

KNOLL OFFICE DESIGN

Knoll Office Design moves beyond the boring, ordinary cube with Knoll's flexible office systems. There are many styles, colors, finishes and configurations available, all made with Knoll's cleaner manufacturing.  The company uses water-based adhesives and UV-cured wood coating, and its products are virtually volatile organic compound (VOC)-free. Many are available in FSC-certified composite wood, as well as Greenguard certified.

I strongly feel that the more we do to protect the environment, it will be better for future generations.

Green Design Principles

Ola!!!!

My most important goal is to incorporate GREEN DESIGN PRINCIPLES into my future design projects.

I read a very interesting article on WILLIAMS SONOMA MARKET PLACE entitled GREEN DECORATING FACTS EVERY INTERIOR DESIGNER SHOULD KNOW by Jay Johnson.

"If you know the facts, it's a systematic approach to help your clients stay healthy, lessen their impact on the environment, and save money."  

- Jay Johnson, Williams and Sonoma Market Place

The Five Principles of Green Design: 

• Energy efficiency
• Use of low-impact materials
• Use of high-quality, durable materials
• Design for reuse or recycling, and the use of recycled materials
• Conservation of water.

FSC CERTIFIED - West Elm WOOD-SLAT EXPANDABLE
DINING COLLECTION

I am sure you are wondering what is FSC CERTIFIED?  I was too, so here is some information on The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC):

• FSC is an independent, non-profit organization that protects forests for future generations. 

• They are an open, membership-led organization that sets standards under which forests and companies are certified. Their membership consists of three equally weighted chambers -- environmental, economic, and social -- to ensure the balance and the highest level of integrity.

• FSC US is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and operates as a National Office of FSC International, which is based in Bonn, Germany. 

Pottery Barn HASTINGS RECLAIMED WOOD COFFEE TABLE

Here are a few green design elements that every designer should keep in mind:

• Higher Home Resale Value
• Energy Savings
• Green Is Easy
• Brighter Ideas
• Reuse, Recycle
• Product Lifecycles
• Support Green Vendors

Do you use Green Design Principles in your projects?

Do you feel that being 'GREEN' is a fad that is no longer popular?