Modern eco furniture

Click here to see our selection of Modern eco furniture.

Modern eco furniture is created to be friendly to the environment. Modern furniture of the past reflected a very streamlined and functional design sensibility. Excessive embellishments such as tassels and ruffles were discarded in favor of a décor which emphasized simplistic forms. Today there is an additional level to the simplicity and practicality of modern design: To make good and responsible use of the materials of our environment.

Stores which support modern eco furniture are often members of the Forest Stewardship Council. If wood is certified by this nonprofit organization, buyers know that it has been harvested through sustainable methods. So while two beds can have the same hardwood component, if only one meets FSC standards then only that one came from a reliably environmentally conscious source. If a product does not meet FSC standards, it may have come from an illegal lumbering operation which wasn’t concerned with sustainability.

Along with being safe for our environment’s resource levels, modern eco furniture should be safe for us to have in our home. Kitchen countertops and cabinets, plywood, particleboard, paints, and varnishes are all examples of common home features which release chemicals into the air through evaporation. This is known as “offgassing.” Offgassing isn’t necessarily bad in itself, but synthetic materials can release toxic chemicals into the air that we breathe. Materials that have been treated with synthetic substances are also capable of causing harm.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are the most common family of chemicals that are offgassed. Endocrine disruption, birth defects, and cancer have been linked to VOCs. Studies have also linked formaldehyde, a very common chemical for furniture to offgas, with asthma in young children. Symptoms associated with excess exposure to VOCs include nausea, headache, dizziness, fatigue, vomiting, eye irritation, and nosebleeds.

A way to make sure your modern eco furniture is low toxicity is to buy furniture that has been certified by GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI.) This non-profit organization has three third-party certification programs to assist with its goal of improving health and quality of life by improving indoor air quality.

Additional steps towards keeping safe offgassing levels include buying furniture that is untreated or treated with natural substances, such as natural wood finishes. A product using organic cotton is also an excellent choice, as organic Cotton is less likely to have been treated with toxic chemicals. Buying vintage or second-hand furniture is a wise decision as well because most of the offgassing will have been completed before you even acquired it.

We accept all major credit cards