Atlantans love spring, evidenced by the amount of time we spend grilling and lounging with family and friends under the sun. When selling outdoor furniture, store owners expect to be asked about the type of wood and eco-friendly attributes of chaises, benches, dining tables and other pieces for porches, decks, pool and outdoor kitchen areas.
Greg Martin, co-owner of Kolo Collection in Atlanta, and Sylvia Parr, owner of Parr’s Indoor/Outdoor Furniture in Lawrenceville and Alpharetta, shared three tips for environmental friendly outdoor furniture:
Got milk?
Some companies use recycled milk jugs to create eye-catching outdoor furniture. “The biggest change has been the recycled plastic because there’s a ton of companies that are doing it,” Martin said. For example, Loll Designs uses 100 percent recycled polyethylene -- the same material in used milk jugs -- in its Adirondack chairs (priced in the $500s-$600), tables, benches, swings and even birdhouses, sold locally at stores including Kolo Collection and Design Within Reach. The pieces have a fun contemporary edge and are durable, Martin said.
Ask for the history of wood items
If you’re hunting for wood furniture, ask how and where the wood was grown, and if it is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. Under the FSC, which promotes the responsible management of forests worldwide, wood comes from a supplier with managed plantations or forests. “It’s the highest acknowledgement you can give somebody dealing in wood for how they manage the process,” Martin said. Parr said buyers sometimes ask if the wood products she sells are plantation grown, and that's the case in her store. Jensen Leisure Furniture, whose products are sold at Rocky Mountain Patio in Sandy Springs, Intown Ace Hardware in Decatur and Kolo Collection, received five stars -- the highest rating possible -- by the National Wildlife Federation for garden furniture products with 100 percent FSC-certified tropical wood, which comprises the majority of outdoor furniture. The National Wildlife Federation’s Garden Furniture Scorecard 2010 also found that companies such as The Home Depot, Pottery Barn and Target carry 100 percent FSC-certified wooden outdoor furniture or products from forests seeking FSC certification. Other stores tout FSC-certified roble wood products, such as Crate & Barrel’s Arbor Outdoor Lounge Collection, with chairs and coffee tables starting at $399.
Find long-lasting materials
Metal is still king when it comes to outdoor furniture, Parr said. Aluminum’s durability and rustproof attributes mean you can keep high-quality pieces longer than other items. “One of the biggest things that we do in our consuming society is we buy things, we use them and we dispose of them,” Martin said. Parr adds that aluminum can be recycled after its useful life and made into other products. A starting point for a five-piece set of aluminum furniture at her stores is about $699. Wicker fans also can ask for pieces made of rattan, which Parr said is a vine that grows rapidly and is considered a renewable resource. “Every bit of the vine is used basically; the outside is used for bindings and things like that,” she said. “So rattan you would consider eco-friendly because they are not cutting down trees.”
