If you want to redecorate your home but feel that you’d like to do your bit for the environment at the same time, then one way to do this is to buy furniture made with reclaimed wood.
Reclaimed wood is wood that has already served a purpose – whether that might be as floor boarding or joists in houses, or as part of a ship. The tones and colours of wood get better over years, they become richer and fuller. Furniture from reclaimed wood can be really beautiful.
By buying furniture made with reclaimed wood, you’re doing a form of recycling. As we all know the forests in the world have been devastated by man’s use of the land for agriculture. We have been farming the land for more than 11,000 years and consequently there is 40% less natural forest in the world than they would otherwise be.
Most of the deforestation has taken place in the last fifty years. Nearly 3 billion hectares of woodland has been destroyed in this time – as the world’s population has leapt from just over 2 billion to 7 billion in only the last fifty years.
Furniture made with reclaimed wood is more expensive – as the wood is more valuable than new wood. But an extending dining table made of reclaimed wood will add far more grace to your home than one made from new pine, for example.
Of course, it’s not possible to get all pieces of furniture made from reclaimed wood. For instance, if you want to buy sofas that are also recliners, the chances are that most of the ones you find will be manufactured using new wood. But if you can adopt a mix and match strategy, you’ll be able to buy some reclaimed wood pieces and mix them with new wooden furniture that complements them, and helps to accentuate their beauty.
