Comments on: Top 5 Affordable Eco-Friendly Sofas & Chairs

By: Jeanne / Vintage Renewal

Jeanne / Vintage Renewal — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 00:40:44 +0000

Come see me at my green online boutique http://www.vintagerenewal.com for Indie Furniture Redesigns.

By: dd

dd — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 03:35:25 +0000

oh and also- i’m wondering if you got a leather sofa would that seal some of the chemicals in? wishful thinking probably

By: dd

dd — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 03:34:04 +0000

I thought only California had to have the flame retardant in the sofas and mattresses ALL sold in USA had to have flame retardant (i have the mattress in a wool layer so its supposedly chemical free, there just arent any prices that are really doable for SOFAS!! I found one company that said it only treated its foam cores with halogenated phosphate esters but that seems toxic? not sure though? what do you all think?

By: Mim

Mim — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 19:07:59 +0000

Hi Jennae,
This is a great article, and while it’s good to see so many companies getting their toes wet in the green furniture business, I found pricing to be prohibitive for my family. I came across your article while I was trying to understand the cost of what was out there, and ended up making my own component, organic sofa for less than $2000. I even got to design my own fabric! I thought you might like to see my project:

http://www.veganreader.com/2011/04/09/organic-eco-friendly-sofa-for-less-than-2000-how-i-made-it/

Thanks for all of the inspiring posts you write. The more we think green, the better our ideas will become!
Mim recently posted { Organic- Eco-Friendly Sofa For Less Than 2000 – How I Made It! }

By: jennae

jennae — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 20:42:47 +0000

Cate, no need to apologize at all. I definitely aim to be helpful and welcome your opinion If you do a search for sofas or check out the seating category, you’ll find a lot more options: http://www.greenyourdecor.com/category/seating/

There are definitely eco-friendly sofas out there that go a long way in terms of sustainability. They don’t contain flame retardants or poly foam, are made with sustainable fabrics, recycled parts, reclaimed or FSC-certified wood frames, etc. But you’re going to pay for them.

The way I see it, the more consumers demand products that go all the way, the more products will appear on the market for better prices.

By: cate

cate — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 20:32:47 +0000

THANK YOU! Finally someone really addressing the issues regarding ECO. I am sooooo tired of listings like this one that post eco friendly furniture because the wood is sustainable and something else might be recycled. And, SOY! soy foam is 10-20% of the polyfoam cushion which isn’t eco AT ALL. I’m all for sustainable but I think when someone wants a ‘green’ or ‘eco’ sofa we want a safe and human/world friendly. I want to breathe good air! Sorry for the rant, just so frustrated by so many lame post on “eco” sofas.

By: Jennifer Hankey

Jennifer Hankey — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 15:18:15 +0000

I have a question! I just got the same response from Pottery Barn yet in addition they stated in each email (I was trying to get them to clarify) that they do not use chemical fire retardants on any of their products other than their children’s sleepwear (don’t get me started on this one). How is this possible???

Jennifer
Organic Baby University

By: Joseph

Joseph — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 19:36:21 +0000

Here’s a photo of new eco sofa daybed that Organic Comfort Zone will be launching soon. It looks really nice.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=5217387&id=59056567610

By: Marie

Marie — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 18:06:34 +0000

I just received this on buying green healthy furniture:
http://www.healthybitchdaily.com/2010/04/13/furniture/

By: Marie

Marie — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 17:11:34 +0000

Oops. I meant to say: I found a totally organic MATTRESS from a company named Natura…. Sorry. Marie.

By: Marie

Marie — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 17:09:33 +0000

Jennae,

Thank you. I realize also that fire-retardants can save lives. And everyone can’t afford to get wool for a natural fire-retardant layer. However, when I sit on a sofa or lie on a mattress that contains the modern chemical fire retardants, I literally break out in hives. When I go to furniture stores, I get sick (throwing up and worse) violently. It took me years to isolate the culprit — and it is furniture. I found a totally organic sofa from a company named Natura (they have many types of mattresses, but one line is called “Organic” and it has changed my life. Now I am searching for a similar sofa from a reliable company. I have written to Ekla Home, thanks to your recommendation, and when they reply, I will let you know what they say.

By: jennae

jennae — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 18:38:18 +0000

Marie, thank you so much for the additional information. There are so many components that go into products like this that it can be a real challenge to find products that go all the way. These ones from Overstock are certainly middle of the road in terms of being green, and their affordability comes with a price — that there are components that aren’t so green.

Viesso: http://viesso.com is a great company that offers wool upholstery, along with several of the other companies I referenced in a previous comment. I’d love to hear what you end up buying!

By: Marie

Marie — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 18:23:31 +0000

Thank you! I really appreciate this information. Sustainability is important, but for personal health the toxin-free materials, all natural, are the most crucial.

By: Marie

Marie — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 18:19:59 +0000

According to my understanding of fire retardant legal issues, all sofas for sale in the United States have to meet a strict standard, and will have to have layers of chemical fire-retardant materials, unless the company uses wool for the fire retardant layer. A sofa can be ecologically harvested, and have “soy-based foam,” but that foam may be soaked with chemical retardants that are toxic and unhealthy for many people. Pottery Barn would not tell me the chemical composition of their fire-retardants. Their salesperson said it is a “trade secret.” Crate and Barrel did disclose theirs — a representative kindly researched it and called me back a few weeks after my inquiry — and gave me the names of the numerous chemicals that are inside their soy-based foam. I appreciated the accurate information, but I do not want to breathe in any of those chemicals. I have given away all my toxic sofas, and now am looking for an organic wool upholstered one, which is the only kind that is both natural and legal to offer for sale, under the existing fire-retardant code in the U.S. A. I think we need new standards for labeling products in this country, a full disclosure of all ingredients, chemicals, and treatments clearly labeled in all consumer products, so we can make a choice.

By: jennae

jennae — Fri, 14 May 2010 16:35:57 +0000

No need to apologize! That’s what customer reviews are for, right These sofas are definitely affordable, but sometimes that means sacrificing some quality.

But if you are looking for completely green sofas, I can definitely recommend a few. Among of my favorites:
Ekla Home: http://eklahome.com/
Viesso: http://viesso.com
Pure Inspired Home: http://pureinspiredhome.myshopify.com/

I hope that helps!