A disturbing trend
It’s no secret that we currently live in a society with a disposable culture. Every year in the Greater Sydney environs our council clean-ups alone, sees the dumping of nearly 50,000 tonnes of used furniture; sofas, armchairs, bookshelves etc. approximately 65% of which is mass-produced wooden furniture. This type of furniture may be low-cost to the short sighted consumer; however, it is far from low-cost to the environment. Consider for a moment the effects of logging alone – deforestation is directly responsible for the reduction of bio–diversity, is responsible for the release of 15% of the World’s total greenhouse emissions, it also disrupts water cycles, increases soil erosion and interferes in the livelihoods of millions of people who are directly reliant on forests for their survival. Add to this the energy consumption of production, shipping, transportation and disposal – the results are catastrophic. This wouldn’t be quite so alarming if we could recycle this waste, but the chilling reality is that it will very nearly all end up as land fill. Inexpensively engineered substrates and veneers, cheap plastic fittings and inferior construction techniques render these products unsalvageable – After only a couple of year’s usage, the majority of mass-produced furniture ends up buried in the earth.
Breaking the cycle
Considerable efforts must be made to break the succession; focus must be orientated towards long term use. Ultimately the responsibility is in the hands of the furniture designer and manufacturer. If we continue to use a material such as timber in the construction of a piece of furniture, the view must be one of, the lifecycle of a finished product should far outlast the time in which it took to grow the material in the first place. Coupled with an approach to smart thinking, manufacturers should be responsible to offer pieces with intrinsic value. This inherent worth is begins from a consultative relationship between client and designers engaging the advice and creative vision of a professional furniture designer to get the details right first time.
Clever by design
Bespoke furniture design is regarded the couture end of interior design, it can realize your aspirations, establish the tone of an interior space and complement the existing architectural envelope, but whether or not, it be a custom made cabinet or a complete interior fit-out, the process is the same. Each project must undergo a comprehensive design process, be meticulously crafted and beautifully finished. Crafted by artisans who are passionate about the finished article ensures the production of pieces with a real intrinsic value and one that will very much stand the test of time.
To make something beautiful it must be considered, it is necessary to invest, time, attention and energy. Through this approach, extraordinary results can be achieved, not only to the interior space but also, on a much broader note, you will be doing your bit to saving the planet on which we live.
