Recession-Friendly Eco Furniture: Robin Bruce and Grandin Road
Obviously the most eco-friendly design update for your living room is to recycle furniture by slip covering or recovering, but there comes a time when a piece is just plain worn past the salvage point.
If the economy’s slippery slope has paused a long-awaited update to your living room set, fear not, recessionista. Many think that green furniture has to cost a lot of green, but we found stylish pieces that are as easy on the eyes as they are on the pocketbook.
Robin Bruce had us at hello with their signature Donovan sofa. We first noted its grandly tufted back, sinewy lines and luxe construction. Then took heed of the fact that all Robin Bruce sofas and chairs can be upholstered in organic cottons, bamboo or hemp. Saw springs are made of recycled iron ore and cushion cores of renewable, raw and toxin-free materials. Then gasped at the price tag: At $1,600, this eco-chic sofa gives ordinary environmentally unfriendly furniture a real run for its money.
If you fancy a little something with a more modern appeal, Grandin Road’s sleekly-lined Southport line is upholstered in “Eco Suede” made from recycled water bottles and costs only $899 for a sleeper sofa, $599 for an easy chair and $199 for a storage ottoman. Choose from four rich colors—chocolate, pumpkin, sage or saddle—and give your wallet a rest.
Whatever you choose in the furniture department, ask where your item is made and consider buying from a local manufacturer. Shipping big furniture pieces across the country (or even worse, internationally) has serious ramifications vis-à-vis climate-effecting greenhouse gases. If buying local simply isn’t an option, consider offsetting the shipping’s carbon footprint through TerraPass.
Because your redecorating goes well beyond green paint. Even if it is VOC-free.
