Old is the New New

I seem to be on a green roll, so I think I'll keep going, as I think building a healthy home and doing what we can to preserve the environment for our children is top of mind for many mothers like me.

One of the tenets of building a green home that I relate to the most is reuse. I love to use items for something other than their intended use -- vases for bars of soap, stepstools as side tables, big troughs for photographs -- so I'm always looking for vintage items in flea markets or antique dealers that I can put to use. I also love reclaimed wood furniture. Pieces made from reclaimed wood have a patina that I like because, from the day you introduce them into your home, they look like they've been there for a lifetime. A nice side benefit from reclaimed wood furniture is the wabi-sabi aspect (see post "My House Isn't a Mess, It's Wabi-Sabi" on 6/1/08) -- wear and tear inflicted by my family of five only makes my reclaimed wood pieces look better. I'm very grateful to the green movement for making reclaimed wood furniture much easier to find. Here are some of my favorite resources:

Cliff Spencer makes furniture from reclaimed wine oak that's beautiful. I especially like their Parson's style dining table. It's a bundle, but I think if you're going to make an investment in a piece of furniture, a dining table is a good choice. You'll have it forever, and the story of shared memories around that table will follow it as you hand it down to your children.



Andre Joyau is a designer in Brooklyn who makes beautiful, large scale furniture pieces. For those who have children old enough, and don't have to worry about safety as much (see post "Coffee Tables That Will Save You a Trip to the ER" 5/29/08), the coffee table here is fabulous.

I don't think Andre Joyau has a website, but design blogs like DesignSponge regularly pick up their product, so you can always find an address and phone number.

Alan Vogel Designs is another resource for beautiful tables made from reclaimed barnwood.



Staples Cabinet Makers has such a great story, you'll want to pick up the phone and order something right away after watching this video. You can really feel the artisan's passion as he talks about his craft.


I'll just take a moment here to send a personal message to my Mother-in-Law: Linda, you are right -- everything can be re-used for something. Can I have my old picnic table back? I know I can use that wood for something!

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