Sustainability in housing - when things have a deeper meaning

Things shape our environment, express ourselves, create stories, have symbolism. In all products - tables, chairs, cushions, and small decorations, we try to find something deeper. Sometimes it can be the shape of the product, sometimes the material from which the product is made, other times the conditions under which the product is produced. Isn't it an amazing idea when you know that your wardrobe or shelf is made from wood that has existed here in some form for decades? Wasn't there a typewriter on the drawer of your wardrobe, on which telegrams for family abroad were typed? Probably not on the drawer. But it is quite possible that some of its parts were a table 40 years ago, on which that typewriter seriously stood.

For some, this idea can be somewhat frightening. Why use pieces of material from someone else? What quality can the material have when it has so many stories behind it? Great! It is only halfway through its lifespan. So why throw it away somewhere at a collection point and instead extract more wood to make a completely new cheap wardrobe that will bore you in 10 years or fall apart.

We are not rich enough to buy cheap things

How simple and ironic it is... Quality things with quality design last for decades, perhaps whole generations. Let's compare a quality rustic wardrobe made of solid wood, whose lifespan can reach 60, maybe 70 years. Next to that, let's compare cheap low-quality wardrobes, which due to low quality we will replace at least 4 times during the lifespan of the rustic wardrobe.

Not only does the production of new cheap wardrobes consume many times more material, but mainly over 60 years it will cost many times more! Before we even start examining the impacts on nature, let’s realize the first step towards sustainability - focus on quality things that last.

There is always something more to it

At the moment we are sure that someone took care in creating that piece of furniture and it is well made, it is appropriate to start to be interested in its origin. Besides the fact that pieces of recycled material hide an interesting history, it is necessary to know under what conditions the given dresser, table, or armchair was made. The term sustainable furniture can hide a colorful range of things. However, when selecting sustainable furniture and home accessories, we follow two main criteria - the impact on nature, how the workers who participated in the production of the product were valued, and under what conditions they work.

We have a stamp for it

The selected products from our offer contain a FSC certificate. If the product meets the strict FSC criteria, this information is stated in the product card of the item. The FSC certificate guarantees that the wood used for production was sourced from post-recycling or from FSC-certified forests, where the principles of sustainable management are followed.

The main mission of FSC is to support environmentally responsible, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of forests worldwide.

A safe bet

In this regard, our collaboration with the Raw Materials brand has proven to be very successful. In our offer, you will find a very wide range of their products. Armchairs, wardrobes, shelves, and coat racks, but also sustainable lights or flower pots. The advantage of the Raw Materials brand is not only quality design but primarily consideration for people and our planet. So if you are looking for a dresser or table that your grandchildren will be able to use without any problems, browse through the selected categories and consider whether one of the nice pieces from Raw Materials would not be a great decoration for your home as well. It is an investment that will pay off several times over many decades.

And if you are not 100% sure how Raw Materials products actually look, stop by our concept store in Prague in Žižkov, Husitská 143/51, where we have several pieces not only on display but we regularly use them ourselves. Maybe some of them will captivate you so much that you simply won't leave without them. :)