8 Sustainable Furniture Brands to Furnish the Conscious Home
Furniture and lighting choices are often among the most considered purchases someone makes — especially when looking for a sustainable option. We have curated a list of exceptionally designed furnishings — made from earth-friendly materials and with superior quality and functionality in mind — to make these choices a bit easier.
Our curation includes a variety of innovative, conscious home brands — from a furniture company and reforestation project that has planted nearly 1 million trees to a lighting brand preserving heritage Moroccan crafts.
1. Masaya & Co
Originally founded as a reforestation project in Nicaragua, Masaya & Co has sustainability ingrained in its roots. The eco furniture brand responsibly sources the wood for their furniture from Nicaragua, planting 100 trees for every product, as part of their commitment to replenishing previously deforested land. Masaya & Co has planted nearly 1 million trees so far!
Not only does their reforestation project support healthier ecosystems and aid in carbon sequestration, it also provides a sustainable economic opportunity for Nicaraguans. Instead of selling their land for agriculture and livestock use, Nicaraguans are able to make an income by sustainably harvesting timber from their forests.
Much of Masaya & Co’s furniture is designed by co-founder, Abril, and the brand partners with architects and furniture designers who know the best uses for certain types of wood. Local artisans and expert craftsmen from across Nicaragua then bring these designs to life, crafting stunning furniture with care. The attention to quality workmanship at every stage of the process ensures that Masaya & Co’s furniture will last the test of time. For more on Masaya & Co, read our spotlight on the brand here.
2. Emeco
Sustainable furniture company Emeco creates sleek, durable furniture made from earth-minded materials. Emeco uses reclaimed and recycled materials, including infinitely recyclable aluminum, cork, wood, and eco-concrete for their stand-out chairs, tables, and stools.
Crafted in Hanover, Pennsylvania with exceptional care, Emeco’s functional furniture passes commercial-grade standards, meaning these are investment pieces you can count on having for a lifetime — and beyond.
Their most iconic piece is the Navy Chair, which is a recycled aluminum chair build for Navy ships in 1944. The Navy Chair is still sold today.
3. Dounia Home
Dounia Home works with master artisans from Morocco to design stunning, contemporary Moroccan lighting using generations-old crafts. The brand’s founder and designer, Dounia Tamri-Loeper, was inspired from a young age by the rich artistry and culture of Morocco, where she was born and raised.
The brand develops and produces their stunning lighting pieces in Morocco and even sources natural minerals from the country. The dazzling home goods in Dounia’s collection are also made with a high attention to quality — every piece is etched, polished, and sealed by hand. Dounia works with 10 artisans in Morocco, in their studio in Marrakesh, who are passionate about their traditional metalworking craft.
Dounia is committed to ethical production, utilizing a direct-trade model that enables them to pay artisans 30% higher wages on average. The home brand also follows sustainable practices in production, using high-efficiency LED light bulbs for their lamps, high-quality metals, and employing zero-waste standards for the solid brass, copper, and nickel silver metal in their collections.
4. Area Home
Area Home was founded by Anki Spets in 1990 to expand the tradition of well-designed Scandinavian products. The home goods and furniture brand is based in New York, and sources natural, quality materials from around the world. The company is committed to both excellent design and quality, only working with manufacturers that ensure safe working environments and pay fair wages. The brand utilizes European factories that follow OEKO-TEX standards for the majority (85%) of their production.
Area Home’s furniture is custom-built in Wisconsin using hardwoods sourced from within the U.S. (such as solid American Walnut).
5. The Bright Angle
The Bright Angle is a US-based company with handmade porcelain lighting, dinnerware, and home decor. The slip-cast porcelain is crafted of raw materials local to their studio in Asheville, NC.
The slip cast technique used by The Bright Angle’s artisans gives their pieces a uniformly modern look, while the translucent porcelain creates that ultimate ambient lighting.
6. KAZI
KAZI’s line of all-natural, vegan, and fair trade furniture and lighting products includes handwoven headboards, colorful sisal and sweetgrass side tables dyed using all-natural dyes, and statement pendants that add unique texture to any space.
Masterfully handcrafted by artisans in rural areas across Africa, all their furniture and lighting pieces are made from local, natural fibers.
KAZI is a member of the Fair Trade Federation, pays their artisans fair wages, and provides safe and healthy working conditions.
7. Asano
Asano’s warm-hued lighting is the ultimate way to bring in some hygge vibes to any room in your house!
The brand’s brilliant LED lamps and lanterns are handmade in Japan from bamboo filament, rice paper, and wood handles.
For nearly 100 years, Asanoo has been partnering with master artisans using centuries-old heritage lamp-making techniques.
8. Amara
Amara specializes in their world-class, handwoven rattan goods. They source their rattan, a fast-growing, naturally renewable, and sustainable material, from rural communities in West Bengal whose sources of income rely on rattan cultivation.
Amara is dedicated to investing in their artisans from West Bengal, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh, India to provide reliable and sustainable wages, community-based education, and to preserve the heritage craft of rattan weaving.
