mr-able home design

Showing posts with label FSC. Show all posts

"Da Hah' da nyah" Keepsake Box

The design of this "Da Hah' da nyah" keepsake box is actually a variation of the original Tekendoos design I first created in the mid-1990s.

Measuring 10" long x 5" deep x 2-3/4" high this box has been crafted from FSC certified wood, with the exterior being clad in a wood called Narra. This Narra carries a special provenance in the world of sustainable forest management in that it comes from the last remaining board known to exist of the very first wood to be sustainably harvested on the Solomon Islands in the early to mid 1990s. The interior is felt lined.

The inlay on the top of the box was inspired by an aboriginal glyph of a turtle. This image is symbolic for many reasons, since turtles are one of the oldest forms of life and the shell is symbolic of protection. Because of its great age and slow metabolism the turtle is also associated with longevity.

The wood that was used to make the inlay comes from a tree that is a member of the Black Walnut (Juglans nigra) family of trees. Native American medicine women discovered through many generations of trial, error and observation that this wood has holistic medicinal properties that are conducive to healing. In recent years a scientific basis to support this ancient wisdom has been discovered and these molecules (known scientifically as ellagitannins) are now at the leading edge of research into finding a cure for cancer.

The name Da Hah' da nyah comes from the Seneca Iroquois, and means "he protects the forest". This is appropriate considering that the specific design of this particular box was originally commissioned as a gift for the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) in 2004.

Wood Finish Samples as "Business Cards"

In my shop we always put an extra effort into sending high quality finish samples to our clients for approval. These samples are typically cut to 6" x 6" in size, and after all corners have been carefully sanded the backs are professionally lined with felt. Custom labels are then applied to identify the finish, project number, client name and date. Identical copies for use as control samples are kept on file for current and future reference.

On many occasions it has been suggested that we go a little overboard with the quality of our samples, but it has always been my belief that our clients appreciate this added attention to detail.

As a case in point, I received an email earlier today from clients we've previously made an Ellipse II Dining Table for. This table was sculpted out of FSC certified bamboo, and I've now learned that the sample we originally sent for approval has found new life as a wine coaster.

The email goes as follows:

Hi John,

Attached, please find a photo of your bamboo wood sample, which we repurposed as a coaster. It still has your label at its bottom and
thus serves as your "business card" readily available whenever
somebody asks where our furniture comes from. We figured we should share this with you so you know it's worth to make the samples so beautiful as you did them for us.

Cheers

"H" and "P"

Trinity Cocktail Table

The Trinity Table was first created in 2002 as a free-form sculpted table base designed to be set under a tempered glass top.

The table as shown here has a delta shaped glass top, which measures 43" x 41" x 15-1/4" overall height.

Alternative custom sizes can be achieved by changing the size of the glass. The base itself can be sculpted from a broad spectrum of wood species, in addition to the Pommelle Sapele shown here.

Sustainable, Environmental, Eco Lifestyles, Healthy, All Natural, Home and Garden, Interior Design, Eco Friendly, Green Furniture, Green Furnishings, Green Designs, FSC Certified. Organic, LEED compliant, NAUF. CARB2, Bamboo. Non-Toxic, low-VOC, Non-UF glue, Natural Finishes.

Ellipse II Table - Sculpted From Bamboo

In a previous post I described the creative process behind making the Ellipse II Table out of bamboo.

Bamboo has been available to custom furniture makers in veneer and plywood form for a number of years. It's use as a "green" material, however, has not been without questions and controversy.

In simple terms bamboo is considered a sustainable alternative to wood because bamboo is actually a grass and not a wood. Ironically, as demand for bamboo has grown many forests in south-east Asia have ended up being cut down to make way for bamboo plantations. This reality can hardly be interpreted as protective of trees and forests.

In addition there have been many questions about herbicide and pesticide use on these plantations, as well as the use of urea formaldehyde glues in the making of bamboo ply. And this doesn't negate other questions having to do with issues of fair labour practices in the growing, harvesting and processing of bamboo as a material.

In recent years these issues have been addressed with the introduction of FSC certification to the bamboo marketplace.

Given this availability of FSC certified bamboo that is also NAUF and CARB2 compliant I decided in early 2010 to prototype a custom made version of the Ellipse II Table crafted exclusively from carbonized bamboo plywood. The actual material came from a company called Nadurra in Toronto.

The sculpted elliptical cone base was made from stacked laminated bamboo ply sheeting that was milled and sanded to achieve its final shape. The top was made from a full sheet of bamboo ply, with the corner offcuts being used to make the built up aprons for the undercut bevel edge.

All surfaces were then sanded smooth and rubbed in a low-VOC natural linseed oil finish.

The table as shown here was unveiled at the Green Living Show in Toronto in April, 2010.

It measures 60" long x 37" wide x 29" high.

The end grain effect of the bamboo on the tapered elliptical cone base is spectacular, don't you think?

Sustainable, Environmental, Eco Lifestyles, Healthy, All Natural, Home and Garden, Interior Design, Eco Friendly, Green Furniture, Green Furnishings, Green Designs, FSC Certified, Reclaimed Materials. Organic, LEED compliant, NAUF. CARB2, Bamboo, Natural Fibers. Non-Toxic, low-VOC, Non VOC, Natural Finishes.

Pedestal Jewel Box from the "Boxed Jewels" Exhibition

In 2006 The Guild Shop in Toronto showcased some examples of my work at an exhibition called "Boxed Jewels". The following Pedestal Jewel Box was one of the pieces on display.

Oddly enough it's only been recently that I've finally made the effort to have this thing photographed, largely because this design became the inspiration for a custom watch winder box we recently completed .

This Pedestal Jewel Box measures 12-5/8" wide x 11-1/8" deep x 49-1/2" overall height. When open it measures 16-3/8" wide. The pedestal is made of FSC certified Nero Vermelho which has been sculpted into an entasis shape using the same geometric proportions used by the ancient Greeks to construct the Parthenon in Athens.

The exterior of the split shell box is crafted out of some of my core stash of rare veneers - in this case the last of my spectacular Amboyna Cluster Burl that was first used to make the Amboyna Bed back in 1998.

The box interior is made of African Padauk, with the 5 undulating drawer fronts sculpted from solid stock. The drawer boxes are solid mahogany fitted with sliding dovetails. The drawer bottoms are lined in black Tuscany leather.

We're Now Published in Switzerland !

We've recently been notified by Braun Publishing of Switzerland that two of our furniture pieces are about to be published in their new book: "Green Design".

The Kidney Shaped Desk and the Whale Tail Desk were chosen for their use of FSC certified woods, non-UF glues and low-VOC finishes.

The Top 5 Reasons to Visit Kevin Wiggers at IDS11

Here are the top 5 reasons to visit Kevin Wiggers' booth #SN-42 at this week's Interior Design Show (IDS11).

Reason #5:

Although everyone loves the idea of having large flat screen TVs in their home, how do you hide these things when you're not watching television?

Kevin's solution is a custom made cabinet that can hide a 40" LCD TV inside a 6" deep space.

Reason #4

Reason #4 for visiting Kevin at IDS11 is to check out his use of environmentally responsible and sustainable materials.

Going "green" has come a long way from recycling old crates to make furniture. The cabinet shown in the video is made of FSC certified Ebony which has been laminated using non-UF glue. The cabinet is also finished in a low-VOC water based urethane, which means that it qualifies for points under the LEED program.

Reason #3

Reason #3 for visiting Kevin Wiggers at this week's IDS11 is to see an example of his mosaic veneer inlay work. The rotating panel in the video above has been meticulously inlaid by hand using individually shaped panels of wood veneer. The inlays were cut freehand and have been fitted with incredible precision. If nothing else this mosaic panel demonstrates Kevin's exceptional skill and talent using traditional marquetry techniques learned from his grandfather.

Reason #2

The #2 reason for visiting booth #SN42 at IDS11 is to see a rare example of geniune fine parchment work.

The large sample that Kevin will have on display is going to be the real McCoy, using the same materials and techniques that the ancient Assyrians and Babylonians used as far back as the 6th Century BC. (That said, this sample is NOT going to be faux finished paint or textured wallpaper.)

Reason #1

Finally (drum roll, please) , the number #1 reason for visiting booth SN42 at this year's Interior Design Show is to meet the maker: Kevin Wiggers.

For a young man who turns 21-years-old tomorrow, this kid has talent.

The Spirit of K'iid K'iyaas

In April 2002 the "Forest Leadership Forum" was held in Atlanta, Georgia. This conference brought together more than 1,300 leaders from 45 countries to discuss important issues related to the goal of sustainable forest management, including the role of certification schemes in improving forest management. Participants included representatives from environmental groups, retailers, and the forest products industry. This forum was jointly sponsored by Metafore and the World Wildlife Fund.

During this conference a special ceremony took place on the evening of Friday April 26th to present an original commissioned painting entitled "The Spirit of K'iid K'iyaas" to the Haida First Nation. Generously donated by Canadian wildlife artist Donna Bisschop, this painting was offered as a gesture of Hope over the loss 5 years earlier of a tree considered sacred to the Haida people.

K'iid K'iyaas (also known as the Golden Spruce) was felled on January 22, 1997 by an unemployed logger named Thomas Grant Hadwin. Hadwin's actions served as little more than a deranged act of protest against the clear-cutting of forests in British Columbia.

The story of K'iid K'iyaas is explained in greater detail in my earlier post.

The Inconvenient Truth of Cheap Furniture Prices

Have you ever wondered why cheap furniture is priced so inexpensively?

Do you ever question how a furniture store can sell at 70% off and still make money?

Most people would assume that the low prices are simply a function of low labour costs in places like China. The Inconvenient Truth is that the low cost of labour is only a small part of a much bigger story.

Recently I received an unsolicited email from a certain Ms. B****i, who represents a large furniture manufacturing concern in Indonesia. She emailed a digital catalogue of her company's products, and followed it up with a price list. Here's an example of what I can buy:

The table in this photo is made of solid teak, and measures 80" long x 40" wide x 30" high. My cost price for the complete table (excluding shipping via container) is $234.40 each.

Something is seriously wrong here.

Based on a 1" top thickness the material required for me to make a table like this would be approximately 45 board ft. of lumber. With legitimately sourced teak (either FSC certified or supported by CITES documention) ranging in price from $31 to $37 per bd. ft., depending on grade, my cost for the teak alone would be anywhere from $1395.00 to $1665.00 per table. I am uncompetitive by 600% before I've even left the lumberyard.

How is this possible? Two words: "Illegal Timber"

In the attached document from World Wildlife Fund it says that roughly 73% of the timber produced in Indonesia comes from illegal sources. Therefore, the odds are high that the teak used on these $234.40 tables is illegally sourced.

To add insult to injury the retail markups on these cheap imports are astronomical, with retail margins of 500% over cost being common. But even with a 500% markup the retail price of $1172.00 is still less than I can buy the material for.

Given that these off-shore imports are often poorly made and designed to fail, it goes without saying that they also fall apart and end up in landfill within a few years time - so the buying cycle can repeat itself.

Therefore, anyone wondering where the rainforests are disappearing to can start by searching their local landfill. (You'll also find a lot of jobs and an economic future there too).

Early History of FSC-WARP Origins

An odd coincidence (a.k.a. serendipity) happened yesterday.

Shortly after my blog post "It's Not Easy Being Green" went up I received an email from a fellow blogger by the name of Kim Dodge. Apparently Kim and I share a mutual interest in the work of a conservation organization called the Woodworkers' Alliance for Rainforest Protection (WARP).

Then, last evening I was rummaging through some drawers looking for an unrelated file when I stumbled upon a document I haven't seen in years. Given the coincidental timing of this find I decided to post it here.

The document is titled "Early History of FSC-WARP Origins" and it was written by Errol E. Meidinger. (I tried Google to find this info so I could cut and paste, but without luck. Therefore I have retyped it below).

The FSC has its direct origins in discussions among a group of small-scale North American furniture makers, the Woodworkers Alliance for Rainforest Protection (WARP), who became concerned about the effects of their exotic hardwood use on tropical rainforests in the late 1980s. By 1990 they had concluded that a system was needed for certifying sustainably produced tropical hardwoods, and that it should be established by environmentalists as quickly as possible. The idea of a certification system, presumably run by governmental organizations, had already been proposed to the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), an intergovernmental organization charged with developing national policies for protecting tropical forests. But it had been resisted by some members as possibly a disguised way of boycotting tropical timber, and by others as simply unworkable.

Meanwhile many environmental organizations concluded that the ITTO process had been a failure that would not yield significant improvements in tropical forest management in an acceptable time frame. Thus, they adopted and promoted the WARP proposal for a non-governmental certification scheme.

The World-Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), a major international environmental NGO dedicated to the protection of nature and biological biodiversity, became the primary promoter of forest certification. Together with the MacArthur Foundation, the WWF put significant resources behind the project, resulting in the founding of the FSC in Toronto in 1993. The WWF thus invested in establishing what it hoped would be a distinct, durable institutional framework, after which it continued with its varied activities as a general purpose environmental NGO.

Given how much FSC has grown in size and influence since 1993 I cannot help but be reminded of a famous quote by Margaret Mead, which goes something like this:

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

I like to think of myself as someone one who is "green" and committed to sustainability. My interest was triggered in the early 1990s by a television program called "Captain Planet", which prompted my son to start asking questions about the wood I was using as a custom furniture maker.

The resulting epiphany inspired me to become an active early supporter of groups such as the Woodworkers' Alliance for Rainforest Protection (WARP), which later played a key role in the formation of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) in 1993.

In 1998 I became one of the first furniture makers in the world to become certified to FSC chain-of-custody standards (Smartwood #SW-COC-000055). Between 2000 and 2004 I served in the Board of FSC Canada in a variety of roles including Treasurer and Chair.

Between 2005 and 2007 I was a technical advisor for the environmental film "The Green Chain" , while also writing a chapter on sustainability for The Furniture Society's book "Focus on Materials".

At home we've driven two generations of Prius hybrids. (In fact, getting the first one required convincing the salesman at the local Toyota dealership that the Prius was, in fact, one of their cars.) We recycle, compost, and use low energy bulbs. We also maintain an organic garden that yields an assortment of Heritage vegetables, which we supplement by supporting local farms. The coffee (which I drink plenty of) is Fair Trade/organic.

All in all it's not a bad tally, but I also know my carbon footprint is still, on average, bigger than most in the world. Therefore, by definition, I really don't fit the stereotype of truly being "green".

Probably my biggest sin in this regard is the fact that I eat red meat. Yep, I'm a sucker for a thick tenderloin steak grilled medium rare, Chicago-style, served with a Pinot Noir. Some will argue that I'm a hypocrite because my meat eating is helping destroy the rainforest, but that'll be covered in a subsequent post.

Why am I saying all this? Because ever since the release of Al Gore's "Inconvenient Truth" the world's awareness of the "saving the environment" has gone parabolic. But with this has come more greenwash BS than I could ever hope to shake a stick at.

This transformation has shifted many paradigms, including my own, and I've decided to share my views to show a more balanced perspective.

For starters, are meat eaters destroying the rainforest? You betcha. But so are the vegetarians. This will be covered in the post: "Vegans are Destroying the Rainforest".

Another popular crusade has been to stop global warming by getting away from fossil fuels. Great idea, but the simple solutions put forward by the well intended have ended up creating unanticipated problems. These will be discussed in: "Daryl Hannah and Bio-Diesel are Destroying Rainforests".

These two posts will be followed by another intended to give the big picture/macro-economic view of the real problem. That post will be called "The FRDs of Mass Rainforest Destruction". (You'll laugh when you find out what the FRDs are).

Last but not least, the "Big Green Al" post. Al Gore's net worth has grow from around $1 million in 2000 to the point where he's now on the verge of becoming the world's first green billionaire. All this in just over a decade's time. Yep, Big Al knows "green", but his net worth is just warming up. (Oh, good pun!).

Being "green" is not always what it seems.

Road Trip Delivery of Eco-Furniture to Orlando, Florida

In an earlier post I described a road trip to Hollywood, Florida during which we delivered custom furniture to a luxury condominium at the Trump Hollywood. This trip reminded me of another project we delivered to Orlando, Florida in May of this year.

My son Kevin accompanied me on this delivery and along the way we took a few hours break to catch an MLB baseball game at Turner Field, between the Atlanta Braves and the Cincinnati Reds.

Kevin is clearly looking forward to seeing the game.

After an 8 run 2nd inning by the Reds, including a grand slam by Joey Votto, it looked like the rout was on.

This guy is probably the most avid Braves fan around. He claims to have been to EVERY single Atlanta Braves home game (in the same seat at Turner Field) stretching back over 1000+ games. He's also a walking encyclopedia on baseball facts and trivia.

Expect the unexpected. In the bottom of the 9th the Braves rallied back from a 9-3 deficit with 7 runs, including a walk-off grand slam by Brooks Conrad to win the game 10-9. The place went nuts. It turns out this was only the 24th time in MLB history that this has happened, so we truly witnessed some history in the making.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100520&content_id=10236748&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

Kevin with the Braves superfan, moments after the incredible come-from-behind victory. (Incidentally, at the end of the 8th I told Kevin that we couldn't leave yet because the Braves were going to come back and win via walk-off grand slam. Good call, Dad!)

The reason for the road trip: overseeing delivery of custom made eco-furniture to a home near Orlando, Florida. This bedroom furniture includes an Irenic Bed and Inamorata casegoods made of FSC certified wood (that is also NAUF and CARB2 compliant), non-UF glue and low-VOC water based finish that is doctor recommended even for those with chemical sensitivities. The mattress is made of natural latex. The finish on the furniture is glazed maple.

This natural cherry finished furniture is for the guest bedroom. Consisting of an Irenic Bed and Inamorata casegoods it is also made of FSC certified wood (that is also NAUF and CARB2 compliant), non-UF glue and low-VOC water based finish that is doctor recommended even for those with chemical sensitivities.

The custom Inamorata Boxer Chest is made of natural cherry with the drawer fronts being made of Curly Birds Eye Maple from my Core Stash. All drawer boxers are dovetailed solid maple (FSC certified) running on Blumotion self-closing linear ball bearing slides. The drawer pulls are satin nickel.

This set of 3 custom made Island Tables is made of Louro Preto. The inset of river stones on the Cayman Table has been covered with a custom tempered glass top, to keep the cat from using it as a litter box.

This Ellipse II Table has been custom made in bamboo. The top features a radiating sunburst pattern and the finish is a low-VOC water based urethane.

All in all I was highly impressed by the level of research the client put into this project to verify that every aspect of our work was as environmentally responsible as possible.

Celebrating a delivery gone well....fresh ingredients + stainless steel bowl + liquid nitrogen = best ice cream ever. This shameless plug is for a hidden gem called the Pure Magic Ice Cream company. It's located in Kissimmee, Florida. www.puremagicicecream.com

When your kid is too old for Disney World, the next best thing is a 'ghetto ride' in downtown Orlando.

'The Boy' is stoked.

With some time to ourselves we checked out a street festival in downtown Orlando. While walking around we stumbled into this custom chopper with its own built-in humidor and port bar. The chopper lured me inside the Corona Cigar Company, which turns out to be North America's largest walk-in humidor...boasting an inventory of 2,000,000 +/- cigars. It turns out that we inadvertently discovered the cigar afficionado's motherlode of Arturo Fuente's, Hemingways, Ashtons, and Diamond Crowns.

The obligatory photo of me with the chopper.

The Diamond Crown Cigar Lounge. Stocked with pre-embargo Cuban cigars and Prohibition-era rum, not to mention ice cold beer. With the outside temperature hovering around 92 degrees it made sense to chill out with a beer and a stogie in air conditioned comfort. We returned later to catch game 3 of the NBA Eastern Conference Final although, unfortunately, the Magic failed to show to play the Celtics that night. It was an enjoyable experience nonetheless - downtown Orlando is definitely a happening place on a Saturday night.