Sustainability in housing - when things have a deeper meaning

Things make up our surroundings, express ourselves, create stories, have symbolism. We try to find something deeper in all products - tables, chairs, pillows and small decorations. Sometimes it can be the shape of the product, sometimes the material from which the product is made, sometimes the conditions under which the product is made. Isn't it a wonderful thought to know that your cabinet or shelf is made of wood that has been around in some form for decades? Hasn't there ever been a typewriter sitting in your closet drawer typing out telegrams for family overseas? Probably hard on the drawer. But quite possibly some part of it 40 years ago was the desk on which that typewriter actually stood.

For some, the idea can be a bit scary. Why use pieces of material after someone else? What quality can a given material have if it has so many stories behind it? Big! It is only halfway through its lifespan. So why toss it somewhere in the dustbin and instead harvest more wood, make a completely new cheap cabinet from it, which will cease to be of interest to you within 10 years or will fall apart. 

We are not rich enough to buy cheap things

How simple and ironic it is... Quality things with quality design will last for decades, maybe generations. Let's compare a quality rustic cabinet made of solid wood, the lifespan of which can reach 60, maybe 70 years. In addition, let's compare cheap, low-quality cabinets, which, due to low quality, will be replaced at least 4 times during the lifetime of a rustic cabinet.

Not only does the production of new cheap cabinets swallow many times more material, but above all it will cost many times more over the course of 60 years! Before we even begin to examine the impacts on nature, let's realize the first step to sustainability - focus on quality things that will last. 

There is always something more to it

At the moment when we are sure that someone has cared about the creation of a given piece of furniture and that it is of high quality, it is time to start taking an interest in its origin. In addition to the fact that pieces of recycled material hide an interesting history, it is necessary to know in what conditions the given chest of drawers, table or chair was made. Behind the concept sustainable furniture a wide variety of things can be hidden. However, when choosing 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 evaluated and the conditions under which they work. 

We have a stamp on it

Selected products from our offer contain FSC certificate. If the product meets the strict criteria of FSC, this information is given in the product card of the given item. The FSC certificate is a guarantee that the wood that was used for production was harvested from post-recycling or from forests with FSC certification, where the principles of sustainability are respected. 

The main mission of FSC is to promote environmentally responsible, socially beneficial and economically viable forest management around the world.

A safe bet

In this respect, cooperation with by the Raw Materials brand. In our offer you will find a very wide range of their products. Armchairs, wardrobes, shelves and hangers, but also sustainable lights or flower pots. The advantage of the Raw Materials brand is not only high-quality design, but above all consideration for people and our planet. So, if you are looking for a chest of drawers or a table that your grandchildren will be able to use without any problems, browse the selected categories and consider whether one of the beautiful pieces of Raw Materials would be a great decoration for your home as well. It is an investment that will pay you back 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 at Žižkov, Husitská 143/51, where we not only have several pieces on display, but regularly use them ourselves. Maybe some of them will captivate you so much that you simply won't leave without them. :)