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DESIGN, VALUE & SUSTAINABILITY STIMULATE INTEREST IN HOME FURNISHINGS
The days of being a throwaway society should be long behind us, but all agree there’s much more that can be done. For their part, home furnishings manufacturers have embraced the concept of sustainability in recent years, and the initiatives they have implemented have been inspirational, significant, multi-dimensional and far-reaching. From a young boy’s memories of having to recycle newspapers and cans to earn money to visit his grandparents, to the son of a man who helped conservationist Laurance Rockefeller create national parks, each brings a unique perspective on eco-friendliness, and the best ways for their companies – and the industry – to effect change. As varied as the product lines they represent, Phillips Collection today’s sustainability programs focus on a host of directives: greater use of reclaimed wood, natural fibers and other renewable resources; important third-party certifications regarding sourcing; aggressive tree replanting programs; the introduction of innovative new materials that
Phoenix Collection
Ibolili
promote safer home environments; increased emphasis on low-tech, high-touch manufacturing techniques; and perhaps most importantly, a concerted effort to educate both retailers and consumers on the full scope of how to be eco-friendly and why they should care. Some have also made it a priority to reach out to the next generation of industry leaders and mentor them on the benefits of sustainability and eco-friendly design. Much of this awareness can be attributed to the efforts of the Sustainable Furnishings Council, founded in 2006 by Gerry Cooklin, CEO of South Cone. Today the organization has grown to include more than 400 members, representing all segments of the industry. Under the group’s leadership, manufacturers have succeeded in growing the market demand for home products with more meaning, and making it attractive – and beneficial – for retailers to align themselves with companies proud of their responsible business practices. In fact, as Steve Crowder, CEO of Guildmaster explains, a company’s solid reputation for eco-friendly practices has become a “great
Come by the Groovystuff Buyers lounge for a massage and enjoy the free coffee bar while you vote for the student design project from ASU. All voting participants will be eligible to win a Warner Music Group Prize package.
Each piece you see is designed for today’s ’s lifestyle from yesterday’s antiquities. The rich colors and tight grains of this ancient teakwood combine to form the unique character and patina of this collection. Suited for both indoor and outdoor use, Groovystuff furniture provides the atmosphere and character you need to create a rugged earthy look.
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Groovystuff ystu tuff and Dick Idol rtn tner Up to Launch Partner a “Reclaimed” Accents Line In Spring 2011
Distinctive Eco-Friendly Designs Groovystuff Corporate Offices 3229 Halifax Street / Dallas, TX 75247 office: 214.956.0536 | toll: 1.800.933.0536
www.groovystuff.com
The High Point Market: October 16-21, 2010 The Suites at Market Square. Booth No. G-1028 Hill Country Billiard Table
Iron Horse Collection
Call for Appointment at the corporate office or during market at Showroom Phone - 336.886.1664
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partnering with these rich materials. We respect the past lives of the resources we use, and continue the cycle of life by giving them a special place in our homes for future generations to enjoy.” A “hand-touched, low manufacturing” process – but one abundantly reliant on sleek, contemporary design – is at the core of Phillips Collection. As ART’s 2010 Product Designer of the Year, Jason Phillips explains, the company has also distinguished itself by working with fast-growing, renewable resources like bamboo, rattan, banana leaf and arabaca. Groovystuff “Our most exciting advancement has been our Origins collection, made from the roots of long-felled teak trees in the north of Thailand – some which were colossal stumps – that have been reclaimed and made into six categories of furnishings and accessory pieces,” Phillips explains. “They are organic, and one-of-a-kind pieces that we’re able to offer at a fraction of the price of some similar lines on the market. And, not a single tree has been cut down.” As Phillips adds, customers are often amazed by the value and affordability of his line, a challenge that nearly all eco-friendly manufacturers have had to deal with as they continue to dispel the myth that these special products are prohibitively priced. Carl Gustafson, founder of BKind3, says his entire focus has been to make every part of what he does eco-friendly and green. The company’s wood comes from U.S. Sustainable Forestry Initiative-certified forests, and its foam for seating is made in part from soy-based polyols that leave a smaller environmental footprint than all-petroleum materials. But to Gustafson, the issue of eco-friendliness has morphed into the important safety concerns people now have about products in their homes. For this reason, many of BKind3’s fabrics are certified by Oeko-Tec, an organization founded to make sure kids’ garments are safe and which now provides a worldwide standard for fabrics. For the past 13 years, reclaimed materials from antique farm implements, yokes, plows, sugarcane grinders and wagons from a bygone era have been transformed into beautiful, functional furniture pieces at Groovystuff. Co-founder Chris Bruning takes pride in identifying all Phillips Collection of the prestigious certifications his company has earned as a leader in the sustainability movement, but he bemoans the fact that it has not brought him additional business. tie-breaker” for designers and retailers shopping That may change, however, as the company prepares to at market. In the case of Guildmaster, an launch its reclaimed Dick Idol brand accents line next spring. impressive tree replanting program in Indonesia, Ibolili Through a unique program, Groovystuff has where the company operates its own factory, as partnered with Appalachian State University to create a design competition that well as a commitment to using solid hardwoods exclusively, is the cornerstone offers students real-world experience, a chance to earn royalties on successful of the firm’s sustainability initiative. design and a reason to choose the home furnishings industry after graduation. “People are always going to buy on style first,” Crowder points out, Their challenge is to work with reclaimed teak and other components that are “followed by a thorough examination of how items are made and their price/value typical of the Groovystuff line and design an environmentally-friendly product relationship. Then when you tell them your story of corporate responsibility, that reflects the rustic Dick Idol brand and can be produced using sustainable they’re even more impressed; buyers want to do business with companies like manufacturing practices. ours – it’s pride of association – which they can then share with their customers.” As one of the founding members of the SFC, Ibolili is known for its distinctive use of exotic natural fibers such as banana leaves, rattan and water hyacinth, as well as rapid renewables like bamboo and reclaimed teak. “We’re always searching for more natural, reclaimed, sustainable materials to help maintain our leadership position in the sustainability movement,” company vice-president Monica Porter explains. This season the company introduced an extensive collection of furniture and accessories made from commercially harvested coffee wood. To Porter, the knotty, highly textured nature of the lighter-toned coffee wood showcases its “personality,” and makes it particularly appealing. “At Ibolili, we honor Mother Earth for the natural resources she has given so abundantly,” Porter reflects. “Through our work, we have found joy in Guildmaster
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“For me, it’s all about education,” Bruning explains. “If we do not embrace this fresh young pool of talent and encourage them to manufacture in a sustainable fashion, our industry will doubly lose.” Current SFC president Jeff Hiller says that the industry’s single greatest issue moving forward concerns wood sourcing. “Deforestation represents 25 percent of the problem, and the part of the equation that directly impacts the furniture industry, with the remainder the burning of fossil fuels. There have been some avenues for improvement regarding deforestation, but on the whole our industry has been derelict in this regard. It’s a problem that’s not hard to solve – companies simply need to identify where their sourcing materials are coming from and make sure they’re from reputable companies that are managing these areas responsibly.”
Groovystuff
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Origins An entire collection dedicated to nature. Breathtaking and inspiring. Interior Design, reimagined. Another reason to come and visit us at IHFC, C202.
visit us at our showroom, ihfc, c202 tel 877-phillips 路 info@phillipscollection.com 路 www.phillipscollection.com
all of our top selling casegoods are made of solid mahogany, part of our tree replanting program that has replaced 1,000 trees so far.
come visit us at high point in the c&d building, suites 1a & g.