A house may be defined by its four walls, but it only becomes a home by what they contain. The furniture and fittings that fill the interior of our dwellings are the flesh upon the bones of the building's structural skeleton. So let us diverge from the shell of a residence and see what 14 green-leaning Australian designers feel should occupy the insides of our abodes.
Karton
This collection of furniture made of partly recycled material (itself 100 per cent recyclable and completely compostable) comes flat-packed and can be self assembled without ever reaching for a toolbox. It is significantly lightweight to transport, yet is amazingly durable. Karton's beds, bedside tables, dressers, bookcases, cabinets, stools, and so on, are all cleverly crafted from cardboard. And what's more they are affordable, too.
Paper Tiger Products
The award winning Paper Tiger Products, from architect and industrial designer, Anthony Dann, is a small but eminently practical suite of cardboard creations that would feel right at home with anyone desiring funky green furniture. Made in Australia, the flat-packed triangular stools can be complemented by companion tables which similarly rely on structural folds for their strength. Anthony also lent his design talents to the Belkiz Feedaway, a portable kids feeding chair, also from cardboard.
Zaishu
Once dubbed as one of the '20 triumphs of Australian design,' the Zaishu has, since its inception in 2004, been internationally acclaimed. Matthew Butler & Helen Punton's flat-pack stool is as much a piece of art as it is furniture. Sheets of plywood sheeting from sustainably harvested plantations are hand printed (screen printing style) with water-based inks and varnishes in original designs. The ply is then laser cut into panels, which simply slot together to form the stool.
DesignByThem
High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) is the plastic used to make milk jugs. The Butter Bar Stool, by Nicholas Karlovasitis and Sarah Gibson, is comprised of 100 percent of the stuff, with a significant proportion (70 percent) being post-consumer waste. The bars tool can be shipped flat, to reduce environmental impact of shipping air. Once folded and hand assembled it can be deployed inside or outdoors being UV stable. Just like its siblings, the Butter stool, seat and bench.
Abalos
Winner of the prestigious Red Dot Design Award, Dennis Abalos' Snug Chair has caught the eye of several design competitions. Inspired by the encapsulating nature of a bean bag, the Snug is crafted with rattan and abaca, sourced from sustainable plantations and handwoven by traditional artisans around a minimal recyclable steel frame. The handcrafting may hark back to a bygone era but the styling is very contemporary. The Snug is shipped in biodegradable wrapping foam.
Studio Hip
Damien Hipwell and Jacqueline Cuijpers strive for quality, sustainability and affordability. Their Lounge One chair highlights the middle attribute, being an amalgam of an Australian sourced Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified plywood shell (free from Volatile Organic Compounds or VOCs), locally grown plantation oak, with green foam inserts and an eco-wool felt cover. Available with the choice of swivel base or fixed timber base, and can be combined with a matching foot stool.
Nook Nook
Richard Carnell and Jocelyn Cross are Nook Nook and their Loft sofa is constructed with low formaldehyde glued mortice and tenon joints from FSC certified solid timbers and an eco-ply base. The timber is finished with zero VOC water-based sealants. Foam is CFC free and like the feather filled cushions is Good Environmental Choice Australia (GECA) certified, whilst the webbing for the upholstery suspension is derived from recycled rubber. Similarly specced chairs and ottomans also grace the line.
Spore Furniture
The Flat Pack Bed springs into being courtesy of a CNC, or computer numerical controlled router, that precisely cuts the plywood to its detailed shape. Able to be easily transport in flat pack form, the Spore bed gains its structural integrity from the tension of the curved bottom rails into which slip the vertical slats, all assembled with sans mechanical fasteners. The Spore Flat Pack Bed picked up a 2011 IDEA Award in the product category and scored a Highly Commended notation under 'Sustainable Product.'
Armadillo & Co
Plenty have pointed to hemp as an ideal fibre from which to develop the next generation of built environment materials. Jodie Fried and Sally Pottharst walk that talk with their signature hemp rugs. Hand-made by Indian artisans to Fair Trade standards, Armadillo & Co rugs come in a wide array of hues and textures. Each carries a Kaleen label from the Carpet Export Promotion Council of India ensuring that no child labour has been used to make them. Rugs are offered with natural latex rubber backings.
Kietsu
Amber Ward crafts handmade cushions from materials such as non-mulesed Merino wool felt and alpaca wool felt with hemp/organic cotton backs. Organic detergents are used during the felting process with wastewater recycled onto studio gardens. Colour highlights are attained via hand-dyeing local and regional plants avoiding heavy metals and toxic mordants. Amber suggest customers reuse their own cushions inserts or buy from InnerGreen, who make them with 100 per cent recycled polyester fill.
BrightGreen
Australia was the first country to phase out incandescent light bulbs, with a resulting surge in demand of quality compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) and more recently light emitting diode (LED) technology. Brightgreen are Australian designed LED lights that last 30 years. But longevity is not all we seek in our lighting. Brightgreen claim to offer 16 Watt downlights that surpass the light output (lumens) of 50 W halogens, yet still exceed the Colour Rendering Index (CRI) of their competitors.
Brett Coelho
Brett Coelho collects unwanted materials and transforms them into striking pieces of furniture. Of interest here is his Speedlights collection. Reflective road signs have been hand folded and their interiors painted with enamel to render up a series of arresting pendant lights in three sizes. Perfect for fitting with CFLs or LEDs. Coelho is happy to be engaged for custom recycled lighting projects.
Freefold Furniture
Xanita X-board is made of 97 per cent post-consumer recycled paper, and is 100 per cent recyclable. So if your Toby Horrocks designed Popup Box storage and display units ever bite the dust you simply disassemble it by unslotting the panels and popping them in the recycle bin. But until that day enjoy arranging the facetted boxes into free standing wall storage, or benches strong enough to support a television. Like the look? Extend the idea with the structural sound Popup shelf.
Deka Design
The family team of Lasse, Helena and Nora Kinnunen draws on generations of traditional Finnish furniture craftsmanship to offer up the trans-form-it furniture collection. Each piece transforms from a box and back into a box, without the use of tools, and without any surplus packaging. Manufactured in Queensland from certified Queensland plantation solid hoop pine and hoop pine plywood, and finished with water-based stains, the various units comprise living, dining, study and bedroom furniture. Each item can be assembled and disassembled without tools.
