Inhabitat » reclaimed wood

Michelle Kaufmann Tours Twitter’s New Eco-Friendly Office

Michelle Kaufmann, one of our favorite design heroes, just took a tour of social media giant Twitter’s brand new eco-friendly office space in downtown San Francisco, and we’ve got all the sweet details and pics! We’re super jealous of the Twitter team’s plush sustainable furniture and fabulous design aesthetic conjured up by the very talented Sara Morishige Williams, who happens to be the wife of Twitter CEO, Evan Williams (@ev). Working for a hot internet company certainly has its perks – some of which are a bird’s eye view of San Francisco, eco-friendly and non-toxic finishes, playful and inspiring decorations, and your very own DJ booth.

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World’s Tallest Treehouse Built From Reclaimed Wood

by Bridgette Meinhold, 10/29/09

When God told Horace Burgess to build a treehouse, he promised that Burgess would never run out of materials. So far he hasn’t. Using tons of reclaimed wood, Burgess has built a 10 story treehouse in Crossville, Tennessee. Burgess claims it is the world’s largest treehouse and since no one has disputed him yet, his fantastic 100 foot tall structure continues its reign. Known as the Minister’s Treehouse, it should not be confused with the world’s tallest wooden building soon to be built, because its foundation is an 80-foot-tall white oak tree.

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Recycled Skateboard Stools Transform Thrashed Boards to Treasure

by Lea Bogdan, 08/06/09

Skateboards these days are amazing examples of graphic design, and some are practically objets d’art – what a shame that they should to go to a landfill after the boards have lost their pop! Thankfully, Pennsylvania-based Deckstools is here to keep art from the trash heap and to add style to your pad with their striking line of furniture made from reclaimed skateboards.

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Reclaimed Space Prefab Sold on Ebay for $75K

by Bridgette Meinhold, 07/03/09

The fabulous Dwell on Design Show in LA last weekend showcased some amazing new products and home designs, like the organic ‘Solar Ivy‘, and the Mormal Radziner Skyline Prefab Series. Even more exciting though was the little prefab that could by Reclaimed Space, which sold on Ebay for $75,000, with a portion going to Habitat For Humanity. Reclaimed Space designed and built a 400 square foot prefab cabin, trucked it to LA for the event. The home has a contemporary mix of wood and metal in its exterior, and a beautiful interior decorated by our friends at Ecofabulous, with the help of Jeffers Design Group. We’re in love with the design, space and interior — so we weren’t surprised that it was a smash hit at the show.

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Sustainable ‘Alphabet Drawers’ from Kent and London

Kent and London know the ABC’s of sustainable design, and we’re singing the praises of their stylish, FSC approved, solid oak chest of Alphabet Drawers. These 26 letter drawers spell function for the entire household, offering a variety of uses from storage in a child’s playroom or bedroom, to easy filing for a …

Beautiful Garden Studio Built from Reclaimed Fence

Here’s a project that will get any weekend warrior excited, especially one tackling the tear-down and installation of a new fence. Occupying a footprint of no more than 8’ x 10’ this little studio/shed in Petaluma, CA was made from rain-screen siding and reclaimed redwood fencing. Plenty of daylight makes it to the interior space thanks to a simple polycarbonate clearstory, and the interior …

Timberland Opens Eco-Friendly New York Store

The Timberland Company, known for it’s environmental stewardship and consistent ranking as one of America’s best companies to work for by Fortune and Working Mother Magazine, has just opened a new sustainable store at 474 Broadway in NYC. The sleek interior and ample use of reclaimed wood make for an inviting and earth-friendly shopping experience.

Palo Samko’s “Only Men’s” Chest with Top Secret Surprise

How many times have you found yourself saying, “I sure wish I had a hidden drawer to keep all of my top secret documents”? Carpenter and designer extraordinaire Palo Samko must have heard you, because he created just that–an elegant chest of drawers with a cleverly concealed compartment for storing your most treasured possessions. Each bureau is made to order by Samko, who uses reclaimed materials such as plywood, pine and buttery tan leather. This chest and its secret drawer are so sweet, you may want to have a backup location for your valuables because you’ll probably end up showing all your friends!

Ecosystems Bada Table Transforms into a Loveseat

Whether you’re an advocate of low-footprint living or a space-restricted city dweller looking to get the most milage out of your dining room, Ecosystems‘ brand new transforming Bada table may be just the piece you’re looking for. Crafted entirely from reclaimed walnut, the slick table features an ingenious design that transforms into a loveseat with a flick of the wrist, saving on both the space and materials consumed by multiple pieces of furniture.

LORAX’S “GREENEST HOUSE IN SAN FRANCISCO”

I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees. I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues.
— Dr. Seuss, The Lorax

You may remember Dr. Seuss’ legendary tree-protector and earth-lover, the Lorax. Five years ago, Mike Kerwin, Pat Loughran, and Joel Micucci founded Lorax Development with a Seussian mission “to build environmentally responsible homes with renewable materials, energy efficient systems, and smart technologies.” Today, they are doing just that.

JOHN HOUSHMAND’S RECLAIMED WOOD FURNITURE

New York’s John Houshmand creates what he calls “urban organic furniture.” Large slabs of rough-cut timber (most of it reclaimed or salvaged) are married with simple, modern design. Bark, grain, and cracks are left in place. Sometimes the result can be a little backwoodsy, but when it works, it’s stunning. By the nature of the process, every piece is different, sometimes dramatically so.

MOE RECLAIMED-WOOD FURNITURE

It seems that Brooklyn is fast becoming the hotbed for reclaimed wood furniture. Inhabitat has long been a fan of designer wood-recyclers like Scrapile and RG Furniture, and we are excited to discover another Brooklyn Furniture designer who uses recycled wood in a thoughtful way. Andrew Moe of Moe Design collects reclaimed lumber from old, demolished buildings and reshapes this old wood into beautiful new pieces of furniture.

ANDRE JOYAU RECLAIMED WOOD FURNITURE

Designer Andre Joyau recycles old hardwood to create stunning furniture pieces such as this hardwood coffee table (left), and Furo Bench (right). The self-taught woodworker has a knack for utilizing the natural character of wood: knots, cracks and all, to its best advantage. Joyau’s style of juxtaposing a clean minimalist aesthetic with rustic “flawed” material lends an unexpected dynamism to the pieces ? making them far more interesting than if they were made of a more “refined” wood. And, since his furniture is made entirely from reclaimed hardwood, it’s good for the environment as well.