Some American made, less sustainable in Tupelo

Written By Robin Wade

shaw living tommy bahama rugIt was really good to see there there continues to be a good bit of mississippi made upholstery in what is / or used to be the Upholstery Capital of the world.  Of course, there were plenty of imports.  But the Mississippi and other US manufacturers continue to have a fairly good presence at this show.

Also as expected, I didn't find much in the sustainable area.  (Note:  I didn't do market research, just walked the 6 huge buildings with my eyes open).  One wonderful exception was at the Shaw Living space.  These guys seem to have been working at recycling for years.  And now all Shaw Living rugs are recycleable at their Evergreen Nylon Recycling facility in Augusta, Ga.  I look forward to learning more about Shaw's sustainable efforts.  Maybe I can even get a tour of their recycling facility next time I'm in the Atlanta area.  (This pic is of the knowledgeable and helpful Shaw reps at the Tupelo Show - standing in front of one of their recycleable Tommy Bahama Rugs).

Robin Wade
Robin Wade Furniture is a celebration of nature—a melding of a forward thinking commitment to the environment and a quiet, harmonious design aesthetic. From his "slow studio" in North Alabama, award-winning wood artist Robin Wade designs and crafts one-of-a-kind handmade furniture. Years before a piece is ready to enter a client's home or a gallery, the process begins—naturally—with the tree. Sustainably harvested, each specimen of hardwood is flitch sawn into natural-edge wood slabs, debarked by hand with a draw knife, and stacked to dry, usually for years, before the final cure in the kiln. From here, Wade and his team use both hand and power tools to bring Wade's vision to life, and then finish each piece with a hand-rubbed oil blend. Each organic furniture creation by Robin Wade Furniture balances the raw, natural beauty of environmentally, locally sourced hardwoods with minimally invasive, clean lines—a juxtaposition Wade calls both rustic and modern. “I haven’t yet found a better artist than nature,” he says.
robinwadefurniture.com
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