One of the pieces of furniture that is consistently hard to find is a large and sturdy coffee table that is strong enough to rest your feet on and has enough space for that artful arrangement of books, flowers and magazines. In the past I have resorted to suggesting that clients cut the legs off their old kitchen tables and it has worked surprisingly well.
But it would be better to find a piece that didn’t need cannibalising if at all possible and this may be the answer. Totem Road is an Australian company that launches in the UK this week. Yes, we are hot off the press with this one people.
All their furniture is ethically-sourced from sustainable oak forests and the company is proud of its transparent production chain. In addition to that they donate two-and-a-half per cent of all sales to a charity that you can choose from a list at the checkout. Currently that list includes Amnesty International and the Rainforest Alliance as well as a couple of Australian ones. For UK customers, I asked them about more local charities and they told me they expected that would come in time.
I imagine it will depend how well they do over here first. In other words – you shop, they’ll donate.
The current collection has several beds, some coffee tables with both wooden and marble tops, console tables, benches and dining tables. It’s quite Scandinavian in feel, by which I mean, clean lines and no fussy designs so it should fit well with your existing furniture.
For those of you who like to cop a feel before you buy then you can find Totem Road at Tent, the Old Truman Brewery, 27 Hanbury Street, London, E1 6QR as part of the London Design Festival. They will be there until Sunday.
What do you think? I am beginning to notice a theme developing among these new companies. A few days ago I wrote about a gorgeous black and white patterned chair from a company that gives 10 per cent of its profits to a farm it runs in Cambodia which provides employment for 40 people and food for more.
We want to shop, and there appear to be an increasing number of places where we can do it with a clear conscience.
Some really nice designs here and great to see companies doing their bit for charity.
Those coffee tables are amazing. Those marble tops just work!
Hi Kate, lovely pieces. Do you know if they do the dark wood and wicket bistro style dining chairs? I LOVE those chairs but can’t find them anywhere. Sob.
Any help would be v much appreciated.
Thanks!