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When most of us think about eco-friendly interiors or furniture, images of rough and ready recycled timber benches or coffee tables made from tree stumps often come to mind. It’s surprising that in this period of environmental awareness, most furniture manufacturers serious about sustainability still lack real design prowess, and sadly eco-friendly furniture is often overlooked due to its poor design – so what is an environmentally conscientious design lover to do?

Fortunately, there are a handful of furniture companies that are bucking the trend, producing stylish, environmentally sound furniture which is changing the way we think about sustainability in the home. Benchmark is one such company.

Since 2004 Benchmark has been collaborating with a team of top British designers including Terence Conran, Shin and Tomoko Azumi and Thomas Heatherwick to produce a range of domestic furniture which is expertly designed, sympathetic to current interior trends and manufactured to a high standard using sustainable materials and processing techniques.

A self-proclaimed ‘pioneer’ of sustainable furniture manufacturing in Britain, Benchmark’s sustainability credentials are impressive. They have both ‘Forest Stewardship Council’ (FSC) and ‘Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification’ (PEFC) certification, and have been awarded the ‘Queen’s Award for Enterprise’ in the Sustainable Development category (proudly the first furniture maker to win this award).

Benchmark’s commitment to sustainability ensures their manufacturing processes are environmentally sound, their furniture is made from certified timbers and locally sourced materials and they work with other suppliers that share their values.

Here is a small selection of their current range.

Bailey Table, A solid, clean lined table design made with Pippy Oak.

Alvis Armchair, Designed by Benchmark co-founder, Terence Conran.

Plank, A clever design by Thomas Heatherwick created entirely from one plank of wood.

Hexad Table, This table was created in collaboration with Rocket Gallery and Tomoko Azumi and won the Wallpaper* 2010 Design Award for ‘Best coffee table’.

Each item is handmade to order by craftsmen at their workshop in West Berkshire. You can purchase their range direct from their showroom or through the company’s website.

Eco Interiors:

When I think of eco, I think of recycled materials, second hand things, the outdoors, growing your own food and saving energy, It makes for innovative, fun and interesting ideas and I think it brings out the best in people. We are born into a consumerist world which pushes us to buy new products all the time, wasting resources and damaging the planet, so at a time like this making the shift to recycled products or eco friendly products and really thinking about our purchases will help improve quality of life. Interiors have become the focus as we spend more time at home, using our dining rooms having friends to dinner, making our bedrooms luxurious and concentrating on the enjoyment and reward we can get from this. We want sustainable and reliable products that will last and be functional. I have searched around for the best interior products that go with these values.

The innovative sky planter from Eco Centric, is not only a space saver but an unusual and fun way of holding plants and herbs which also holds it’s on water reservoir meaning it “self waters”.

I’m an avid cheese fan and love this board from Love Eco, which is made from the shelves reclaimed from the Old Library at Selwyn College, interesting bit of history and useful!

My previous post talked about large light bulbs making a comeback and here we have the eco friendly version from Eco Centric.

I’m loving this statement cushion made from 100% recycled plastic bottles!This “charming” Chiwawa is filled with wheat and lavender. You put it in the microwave and the heat can last for two hours.

http://www.love-eco.co.uk/products/prince-the-hot-dog

Very cool recycled tyres to use as garden planters or inside for wood or maybe magazines; available from Eco Outlet

Out to the garden we go and a couple of snazzy products to keep your garden in perfect order; a garden planner and recycled plant labels, both from Eco Outlet.

Lilly & Lime compost bucket

Garden Milk bottles from Pure Design Company

Eco paint from Ecotopia

Recycling bin from Eco Centric

Solar Fairy lights from Nigels Eco Store

Feature by Liz Danon

Below is a copy of my feature from The Ideal Home Show’s website

As an Interior Stylist and Director of her own company Pippa Jameson Interiors, Pippa comes across gorgeous homewares on a daily basis. Here she talks about her favourite Eco products.

With an increasing number of consumers wanting to reduce their carbon footprint more designers are meeting the demand by delivering stylish and innovative pieces made from reclaimed materials. Paul Allen, author of the book, Your Ethical Business says. “It’s great to see businesses sharing our passion for greener living and creating such innovative products from reclaimed materials.

Baileys Home is a favourite of mine. Their specialty is to reuse unloved bits and pieces from all over the world and give them a new lease of life. As you would expect, the items take on a beautifully aged feel, my particular favourite are these timers made from reclaimed bobbins that were rescued from a Lancashire woolen mill. Other examples include old brooms made into boot racks and scraps of floor board that become mirror frames, tables or even kitchen units. Hourglass, 60mins, £49. Sermon timer, 15mins, £32. Interview timer, 5mins, £24. Tea break timer, 5mins, £14

Winner of Yahoo Finds of the year award Nigel’s Eco Store is another commendable company. Selling a variety of handpicked products and gifts, their aim is to help you save money and generally live a more planet-friendly life. They sell a large selection of homewares and one particular product that stood out was a piece called Rock’n’Roll. It is a unique Eco-shelving system made from specially sourced paperboard rolls, and then Velcro’d together. You can vary the amount of circles you use depending on the space you have. Rock’n’Roll shelving, £186.99, Nigel’s Eco Store

If it’s lighting that you are interested in then EcoCentric is definitely worth looking at. Made from steam-bent Ash, this pendant lamp has to be one of the most stylish Eco lights I have come across. Grand Curly Shade, £500, EcoCentric

The material has been locally sourced from a sustainable forest and is constructed from over 40 metres of wood curls and coils that are wrapped around a central frame. The finished result is a lively light producing an array of captivating shadows. It is designed by Charlie Whinney, formerly of award winning design collective Sixixis.

I think Graham & Green wins the prize for the most eco friendly stationary. The collection is made from 100% recycled cotton scraps from garment factories where the cotton is then pulped to make paper and embossed with a mock croc finish – genius! Credits: Prices start at £11.50 for a collapsible waste bin.

Special offer: 15% off all Graham & Green products including these Eco Chic office accessories. Follow this link and use this voucher code at payment: S9PJinteriors.

To look at the article on The Ideal HOme Show’s website click this link