Piet Hein Eek: Reclaimed Wood Furniture

Posted on July 19, 2009 by Matt Embrey in Art, Furniture

Piet Hein Eek

Piet Hein Eek

There are many roots to our addiction to consumption, but in this post I am going to discuss just one of them… aesthetics.  It’s funny that dispite the inherent aesthetic beauty of nature and the environemnt, our desire to make our own environments aesthetically pleasing can wreak havoc on the former.   Now obviously there are exceptions to every rule, and Dutch designer Piet Hein Eek is one of those exceptions.

Eek doesn’t tout himself as a Green designer but he embraces the ideals of sustainability in his work out of a respect for the environment and commitment to efficiency.  Eek is best known for his “Scrapwood” collection of furntiure, in which he uses all bits and pieces of wood to create beatiful, sturdy and timeless pieces of .  In an interview with Dwell he explains his philosphy:

“The major thing is that you make durable things. If you buy a couch from IKEA with FSC-certified wood and you throw it away after two years, it is much worse than a non-FSC wood couch that you keep for 100 years. Recycling is good, but if you calculate everything, it’s not actually much better, because it takes energy to move the material to be recycled. If you account for everything, often the balance isn’t as clear as you thought it could be. For me, it’s about quality and creating a look that is timeless rather than a that is fashionable. Most of our gets old in a beautiful way.”

As an amature DIYer/builder I can tell you how much easier it is to build something from fresh new materials instead of making use of what you already have (particularly when using wood).  It’s easy to work in straight lines and even blocks.  It takes real vision and creativity to look at a pile of trash and envision it’s rebirth.  Eek has that vision…

“I see something I like and start thinking of all the possibilities for how it could be used. If I go for a walk in the woods I always come back with plastic bags full of pieces of the forest. It’s about seeing materials and techniques that are available for , but not being used for that purpose. Scrap wood could be gold. It could be everything.”

Sources: Dwell & Studio Forbes

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4 Responses to “ Piet Hein Eek: Reclaimed Wood Furniture ”

  1. Patrick

    20. Jul, 2009

    Beautiful furniture. I love whenever anything uses reclaimed wood. It is much higher quality than any of the furniture you will find in stores and will last for much longer. I agree with your point that it’s better to buy quality products instead of cheap ones that we throw out in a few years. Why not just make a large investment in beautiful furniture like these ones so that ti will last for years.

    Reply to this comment
  2. mattress discounters

    19. Aug, 2009

    I got a great deal on a mattress!

    Reply to this comment
  3. Jabroney

    03. Sep, 2009

    Man, does that guy ever come across as a pompus ass in his picture.

    Reply to this comment
  4. Dallas Furniture

    23. Oct, 2009

    Now iam also use this things in my living room

    Reply to this comment

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