As we have all been stuck at home since last year, I’m sure most of you have already started to question your interior or have already given it an upgrade. I mean, if you already spend that much time at home you wanna have it nice, right? A nice interior can even help to calm you down and give your mood a most needed lift in these uncertain times. I even changed apartments recently and used this opportunity to research a little for stylish furniture, which are also produced sustainably and ethically. For sure the most sustainable thing you can do is to get preloved furniture. There are so many amazing design classics out there and reselling platforms, like Selency here in France for example, which make it easier to find these gems. Personally I like the mix of vintage and modern minimal design. Well, here I’ve listed some beautiful items which are timeless, sustainable and will also give your home a fresh kick.
Hannah, 6-seater corner sofa
by Bolia
The well established high-end Danish furniture company Bolia known for their beautiful sofas are all about timeless Scandinavian design, elegance and craftsmanship combined with natural materials. They cooperate with many talented international designers and are on an ever-changing sustainable journey towards something new and better.
Environmental impact: Bolia set their production standards to the highest quality, making sure that their pieces last for generations and come with a warranty of 5 years. All of their furniture designs are produced by Europe’s finest manufacturers and tested by the world’s leading quality certification agency. Most of the wood they use is FSC certified and complies with EU’s timber regulations. All the leathers are produced without the use of synthetic or harmful compounds and are all traceable, securing the highest quality products with the lowest impact on the welfare of animals where they source materials. Bolia’s fabrics are all made from sustainable and trusted sources, the wool is both OEKO-TEX-certified. They also use new materials like Bergo fabric, which is made of recycled polyester from plastic bottles and ocean fabric. This is produced solely from excess materials from the oil industry and is manufactured without the use of water in production.
Hannah, 6-seater corner sofa, with recycled cotton fabric Sira, 3141€, Bolia
Table legs
by TIPTOE
TIP TOE, founded in Paris in 2015 had the ambition to make sustainable furniture that would be beautiful, useful and durable. Their idea is to create furniture which can have several lives alongside its owner. They started with modular table legs, which are so versatile that you can put your own table top on it and change it from dining table to desk within minutes. Making it possible to change from rectangle to a round form without purchasing an entire new table. These legs are available in many beautiful colours and in three different heights.
Environmental impact: TIPTOE always uses very robust materials that are either already recycled or easy-to-recycle. Their goal is to make sustainable furniture which is solid and adaptable that you don’t have to toss away. This is why they mainly use steel and aluminum, which are extraordinarily strong materials, are fireproof and can be recycled almost infinitely. Knowing that steel is today’s most recycled material on earth; 80 to 90% of all steel used in Europe is estimated to have been recycled at least once (for aluminum, around 50%). The wood TIPTOE uses for some furniture is exclusively sourced from sustainably managed European forests carrying the FSC or PEFC labels. Since 2019, they have been using reclaimed wood sourced from destroyed European buildings such as barns or old warehouses for their shelves and tables. TIPTOE is constantly working on the further use of upcycled materials, their latest material addition is recycled plastic which they use for their table tops, like for the Venezia coffee table its table top is made from a hundred pots of yogurt, explaining its white color.
Coffee table and bench leg 43 cm, 49€, Finnish Design Shop (ad – affiliate link)
Aura Vase and Kaskad Lamp
by Schneid Studio
The German brand Schneid Studio is creating mindful products using natural raw materials, soft tone colours and bold shapes. Their creations are meeting the zeitgeist and are creating ambiance to every space.
Environmental impact: Schneid Studio only produces in Germany by working together closely with local manufacturers, which means they keep delivery routes short.
Aura Vase 49€, Kaskad Lamp from 399€, Studio Schneid
Puffy Lounge Chair
by Faye Toogood for HEM
If you are looking for some really unique furnishing, I’ve got the brand for you. HEM is a Swedish independent design brand, founded in 2016, which collaborates with vanguard designers and renowned European manufacturers to ensure design pieces without compromising on quality or sustainability.
Environmental impact: HEM produces 98% of its collection in Europe, and the remaining 2% which is their rug collections, are produced at a GoodWeave-certified manufacturer in India. The materials they use are as sustainably and ethically sourced as possible and sourced in the EU. All steel they use is made from at least 20% recycled content and all timber is responsibly sourced within the EU. All fabrics are EcoTex or Eco-label certified having >70,000 Martindale. The foam is REACH certified and all leathers are produced in accordance with international standards for animal well being and are fully traceable back to the farm.
Puffy Lounge Chair, from 1749€, HEM
Mini modules
by Montana
To give your living space a beautiful fresh kick of colour, the minimal modules of Danish furniture brand Montana are just ideal. The high-end furniture company runs under the philosophy of founder Peter J. Lassen that “every one of us has a need for freedom and a natural desire to create our own personal spaces”. This is why Montana provides endless possibilities with their modules which come in over 42 water-based lacquer colours.The family-owned furniture company has existed since 1982 and designs, develops and manufactures everything in Denmark.
Environmental impact: All furniture are made from MDF, are manufactured in Denmark and carry the Danish Indoor Climate label and the EU Ecolabel. The Montana ensures for their furniture a 10-year guarantee and became one of the first Danish businesses to run ‘cradle-to-grave’ analyses of the environmental consequences of a given product. Since 2007, Montana uses only water-based lacquer colours, which don’t smell and are free of harmful solvents
Mini modules, from 179€, Finnish Design Shop (ad – affiliate link)
Componibili Bio, storage unit
by Kartell
Kartell’s design classic storage unit Componibili originally designed in 1968 by Anna Castelli Ferrieri is now relaunched as a fully biodegradable plastic version as part of the campaign “Kartell Loves the Planet”. After a long R&D phase they represent the ultra versatile storage unit in 4 beautiful pastel shades.
Environmental impact: The material used for the Bio collection holds the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) certification and boasts exclusive properties of biodegradability in water and soil. It is also certified by international institutes Vinçotte Belgium and TÜV Austria. Kartell continues its ongoing commitment to sustainability with eco-friendly products which are part of the broader project expressed by the industrial manifesto Kartell Loves the Planet. Their A.I. chair created using only 100% recycled thermoplastic technopolymer from pure waste material that has been set aside to not be contaminated by other materials; their use of exclusively FSC certified wood for their new Smart Wood collection; their intention to be circular and eliminate waste from the environment and turn it back into raw material; furthermore the company boasts GREENGUARD certification for all its products, which guarantees low levels of emissions and therefore safeguards indoor air quality.
Componibili Bio, 206€, Finnish Design Shop (ad – affiliate link)
Arbour Eco, 3-seater sofa
by HAY
Arbour is the new sofa of the Danish furniture brand HAY. Designed by Andreas Engesvik and Daniel Rybakken’s Arbour is assembled from separate components that have been independently produced. The sofa was developed with an intention to create a durable sofa that would qualify for the Nordic Swan Ecolabel within the European market. It consists of a wood frame made from FSC-certified wood with water-based lacquer and EU Eco-labelled upholsteries for the Eco version. If, over the years, one of the parts needs to be renewed, it is possible to repair or change it separately without having to replace the entire sofa. The 2002 founded Danish furniture brand stands for high quality, affordable design products for everyday life. They design beautiful products for many different environments: for home, professional space, public spaces and all the spaces in between. HAY is taking their inspiration from art, architecture and fashion and manages to stay one step ahead of the zeitgeist in terms of form, colour, language and innovation. They work together with the best international designers to experiment on new materials and technologies.
Environmental impact: HAY is committed to the design and production of durable and long-lasting quality products made from hard-wearing and sustainable materials. The majority of their furniture production is located in Europe. They aim to produce 2/3 of their products in the regions where they are sold. HAY already applies a lot of sustainable practices and has a sustainability roadmap. All wood used in their furniture is FSC-certified and their composite wood materials have a European standard E1, which ensures a low release of formaldehyde. The coating they use is not heavy-metals based. In May 2020, they launched the first product with water-based lacquer and by 2022, the majority of their wood products will be made with water-based lacquer and only water-based glue will be used. In their chemical usage, they comply with the REACH regulation and do not use PVC in any of their products. In their furniture collection they use 100% recycled polypropylene (PP), virgin PP or a mix of recycled and virgin PP, which is a very strong and durable material ensuring a long life time. All the used polypropylene is free from heavy metals like cadmium, chrome 6, lead, tin and mercury.
Arbour Eco 3-Seater, from 4867€, Finnish Design Shop (ad – affiliate link)
Material Journeys 