The Sullivan club chair has clean, modern lines and an exposed wood dowel style base
Verellen
Tom Verellen shudders as he describes a young parent changing a baby on sofa.
“Today’s consumers are so much more sophisticated about the environment and how it affects them: they eat organic food, they try to reduce their carbon footprint in as many ways as possible,” says the president of Verellen, a furniture company based in Belgium and High Point, North Carolina. “But they put babies on fabric treated with flame-retardant or stain-resistant chemicals, the sofa’s frame is made of pressure-treated materials and off-gasses volatile compounds, the upholstery is polyurethane foam, which is petroleum-based and therefore emits volatile organic compounds.”
He shakes his head. “There is ample animal and lab research to suggest these chemicals may promote a number of health concerns, including cancer.
“Between the chemicals and the lack of style, we saw a big void in the furniture industry.”
In 2005 he and his wife, Sabine, launched their eponymous furniture line. Manufactured in North Carolina, their collection features FSC (Forest Stewardship Council)-certified lumber, recycled metal coils and packaging materials, down and feather wrapped around soy-based foam cushions and organic cotton and linen upholstery fabrics.
Styles are modern, with a sexy edge expressed in curvaceous chair and sofa arms and backs, tapered and splayed table legs and soft cushions. Many upholstered pieces wear slipcovers that go into the washer and dryer.
“We sell in mom-and-pop stores, where the proprietors really get behind our story,” Verellen says.
It appears to be working; the company’s revenue has climbed into eight figures as customers around the country discover the classic, stylish and eco-friendly pieces.
It is not the only furniture company to head into a healthy direction. Urban Natural Home, based in New Jersey, represents a number of lines that feature locally sourced hardwoods and organic upholstery. An especially strong emphasis is on baby and children’s furniture and organic mattresses, including pet mattresses. Los Angeles-based Stem Goods promises high quality eco-friendly furniture and accessories on line. To make the experience of buying furniture sight unseen less fraught, the company offers design help from their “Furniture Stylists,” along with free samples and free returns with a 100-day in-home trial. The company claims to be on the vanguard of a new way of buying and selling furniture.
All combine quality with environmental concerns. “Our furniture is heirloom quality,” Verellen says.
It does stand to reason that, if a piece of furniture is to last for generations, it should be a benign part of the family, not one that brings illness.