Market

Jen DeRose -- Interior Design, 10/1/2007 12:00:00 AM

Wax On

Make a beeline for Pieter VanTuyl, where Tod Babick's table-bench has us abuzz. Babick based his 55-inch-wide design on the Windsor chair but made it modern by using reclaimed white oak for the legs and spindles and sustainably harvested walnut for the seat and backrest. The latter's floral carving is hand-filled with encaustic, a combination of white-pigmented beeswax and fir sap that won't off-gas like resin does. In another twist on tradition, Babick placed the five supports off-center in increments based on the Fibonacci sequence. "The spacing is aesthetic, structural, and poetic," he says. "How many four- or six-petal flowers do you know?" 4047 Eastern Avenue SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49508; 616-745-1094; pietervantuyl.com. circle 302

Centrifuge Design

Neither rain, nor sleet, nor stacks of bills will keep these sturdy mailboxes from their appointed task. Recycled-aluminum Transit, finished in an eco-certified polyester powder coat, comes in three colors named for Toronto subway stations. Choose Donlands Yellow, Glencairn Orange, or Bathurst Blue. 24 Ward Street, 109, Toronto, Ontario M6H 4AG, Canada; 416-516-4641; centrifuge.ca. circle 312

Brave Space Design

Puzzled about storage? The Tetris-inspired Tetrad Bamboo shelving unit earns a high score. Five video-game shapes combine to create a rectangle 72 inches high by 45 wide by 9 deep; it's finished in organic herbal oil. 449 Troutman Street, Studio 2A, Brooklyn, NY 11237; 646-831-2470; bravespacedesign.com. circle 314

Capri Cork

Re-Tire rubber tiles and rolls might send other flooring into early retirement. Clean tire scrap is put into molds, heated and cooled, and eventually peeled away in thicknesses of approximately 1/8, 1/4, or 3/8 inch. From the Kaleidoscope collection of colorways, select sage, mushroom, Trail Mix, crimson, Foliage, Deep Blue Sea, or Storm. Custom colors and designs also available. 1860 Charter Lane, 104, Lancaster, PA 17601; 800-492-2613; capricork.com. circle 313

EcoSystems Brand

Some assembly is required with Bamba, but even the flat pack that the chair is shipped in offers an object lesson in sustainable thinking. You won't need a toolbox either. The bamboo or palm-wood frame snaps together with recyclable aluminum hardware. 140 Jackson Street, 3B, Brooklyn, NY 11211; 917-517-7754; ecosystemsbrand.com. circle 315

Neo Design

Rodrigo Vairinhos's Corky Lips rocking chair smacks of sensuality. This earth-friendly find, made of recyclable polyurethane foam covered in a faux leather made from cork, is manufactured with almost no waste. Dimensions are 20 inches wide by 31 high by 31 deep. 17 Hullbergweg, 58454 Witten, Germany; 49-2302-699775; neo-studios.de. circle 308

Maria Yee

This designer constructs her BambooTimbre Carmel media cabinet from bamboo that's flattened, layered, and bonded. Then she applies one of four finishes: espresso, toffee, wheat, and Kona. The piece measures 47 inches wide by 24 high by 22 deep. 298 Harvey West Boulevard, Santa Cruz, CA 95060; 831-457-2900; mariayee.com. circle 309

Farm

For the handmade pieces in his Flute collection, this young collective's member Giles Miller uses both recycled cardboard and cardboard manufactured with wood sourced from sustainably managed forests in Sweden. The floor lamp has a powder-coated steel armature. The side table can support up to 10 pounds. 8 Fairfield Road, London E3 2QB, U.K.; 44-7780-924689; farmdesigns.co.uk. circle 311

Teragren Fine Bamboo Flooring, Panels & Veneer

Bamboo strands fused with a phenol-based adhesive form durable Teragren Synergy wide-plank floating flooring, ideal for high-traffic areas. Coated with a water-based, solvent-free finish and offered in java, wheat, chestnut, and brindle, the product earns LEED credit. 12715 Miller Road NE, Suite 301, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110; 800-929-6333; teragren.com. circle 310

Slim and Trim

Why would the country that gave us Leonardo da Vinci, Gianni Versace, and the Bugatti convertible not have an environmentally chic surfacing option? Like the right dress, Kerlite slips on almost anywhere. Because it's a form of vitrified porcelain, the product can be installed over existing floors and walls. Pliable, resistant to UV rays, and frost-proof, the six panel patterns are fired in electric kilns— keeping harmful gases and particles from being released into the environment—and made from 50 percent postindustrial recycled material. Sheet sizes range from 3 by 40 inches to 40 by 120, all at 1/8 inch thick. kerlite.com. circle 303

Castor

To make the Recycled Tube Light, this collective liberates burned-out fluorescent tubes from office buildings, including Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's Toronto-Dominion Centre, then binds the tubes together to create a diffuser for one to four incandescent lightbulbs. The fixture comes in lengths of 2, 3, 4, and 8 feet, with 4 and 8 installing horizontally, 2 vertically, and 3 both. Or set them on the floor. 70 Wade Avenue, Unit A, Toronto, Ontario M6H 1P6, Canada; 416-994-1232; castordesign.ca. circle 304

Osisu

Keep an eye on architect Singh Intrachooto's Chairwalker—it's sure to walk right off the showroom floor. The chair is built from lengths of recycled teak, supported by an iron frame, and measures 18 inches wide by 31 high by 33 deep. FordBrady, 720 North Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012; 310-800-3999; fordbrady.com. circle 305

Knú

Knú is so new that you may not have heard of it yet. Especially since it doesn't send out catalogs or mass mailings of its sustainable home-office furniture. Made of Forest Stewardship Council–certified multi-ply Baltic birch and equally sustainable poplar veneer, this screen rests on steel levelers covered in hard plastic and measures 66 inches high by 62 wide. 9380 Pentatech Drive, Zeeland, MI 49464; 866-451-5541; getknu.com. circle 306

Shaw Contract Group

Those who appreciate a view from the backside are certain to be smitten with sustainable EcoWorx Performance broadloom carpet backing. In 2003, it won the Presidential Green Chemistry Award from the Environmental Protection Agency. Now, at a designer's request, the backing can be applied to any of this manufacturer's broadlooms. 616 East Walnut Avenue, Dalton, GA 30720; 877-502-7429; shawcontractgroup.com. circle 307