Swank Space - furniture contemporary modern bed,sofa,couch,chair,table,bedding,rug,lamp, Venezia Denver, CO

Per Wikipedia.com: EcoSexuality refers to people who select their mates based on their shared environmental concerns.

Do you want to furnish your home in an environmentally friendly way? SwankSpace can help you. We offer numerous home furnishings lines that are built using ecologically responsible materials and practices.

What is Eco-friendly anyway?

How do you know if a furniture piece is "Green" or has been built in an ecologically friendly way? There are varying degrees of "green" furnishings. At a minimum, a green piece should be built with sustainable wood, that is wood that is grown in a responsible way where the forests are replanted. Most wood that is grown in North America and used to build furniture is sustainable. Some manufacturers pay extra to have an independent firm certify that the wood they use is sustainable. This extra step costs more money so the furniture built with certified wood will be more expensive. For example, any of our furniture built by Speke Klein can be ordered with certified sustainable wood for a 30% upcharge.

You may have heard of furniture being made of "reclaimed". Reclaimed wood has been previously used in another purpose and has been given a new life and thus is environmentally responsible. Bamboo is the ultimate renewable "wood" source as some varieties can replace themselves every 5 years.

OK, so your furniture is built using an environmentally friendly wood source, now what?

Does it use low emission adhesives, rated E1? What kind of finish is used? Polyeurethene finishes release harmful volatile compounds into the atmosphere. A water based finish is better. Another option is a hand-rubbed oil finished using a vegetable based oil.

If it is an upholstered item, it should use a natural material like Latex for the seat cusions and a natural material like wool would replace polyester for the filling and cushion wrap. There should be natural materials available for the upholstery, like cotton (with organic cotton being better on the environment) or silk. Another option is a vegetable dyed leather.

Steel is not considered harmful to the environment, however, stainless steel is more harmful because of the additives used to make the steel "stainless".

Enough about furniture, what about other home furnishings like rugs?

100% wool rugs or wool and silk blends are the most environmentally friendly. Hand knotted rugs use less materials than hand-tufted, hand-hooked or machine-made because they don't have a backing nor use heavy machinery that can pollute the environment. Vegetable dyes are best although they tend to create colors that are lighter in intensity than chemical dyes and have a more "washed" or "weathered" look.

What about other textiles?

When it comes to textiles used in draperies, pillows, bedding etc., again look for products made with natural materials like cotton, wool or silk and colored using vegetable dyes. Textiles that are machine or hand washable are better for the environment than ones that require dry-cleaning.

We hope you find this overview of eco-friendly furnishings to be helpful in making choices to suit your EcoSexual lifestyle. We at SwankSpace would be happy to help you in selecting the right pieces for your home. Please contact us for more information.

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SwankSpace(R) Home Fashion Boutique(TM) features furniture, bedding, rugs, decorative accessories and gifts for Playful Urban Living(TM).

We carry beds, dining tables, bookcases, entertainments centers, coffee tables, side tables, dressers, chests and upholstery from companies such as Venezia Furniture, Speke Klein and Moroni. Our rugs suppliers include Company C and Loloi Rugs. Our custom designer bedding, duvets, shams, coverlets, bedskirts and pillows come from Mario & Marialena, Lee Wilder Bedwear, Bella Notte, Bella Epoque and others. We sell candles from Votivo, Archipelgo Botanicals, Dadant and more. Our tableware and serving wares come from Michael Wainright, Peggy Karr Glass, A-Concepts, Winethings, Roost, and others.

Copyright 2000-2007 SwankSpace. SwankSpace, poshPad, Home Fashion Boutique and Playful Urban Living are trademarks of poshPad Inc., d/b/a SwankSpace.com. All Rights Reserved.