The Root of the Matter

The Root Bench is one of those enchanting furniture pieces that truly captures the imagination. I found it while looking for early Christmas eco gifts on the site http://www.eco2you.co.uk/.

The Root Bench is one of several furniture pieces in the range which have a similar style and concept – all made from cast-off teak root from the island of Java in Indonesia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Java. The natural variations of the wood mean each piece is unique with an intricate pattern of knots, gnarls and swirls. As the tree roots would normally be discarded at the end of the tree felling process – either to rot, or be burned causing further environmental damage - this production process means no harmful tree felling has taken place specifically to make this piece. With the rapid deforestation in Indonesia causing major environmental problems, not only for the country itself, but globally, this practice is one that makes good sense.

The finished Root Bench bears the lovely waxy texture that teak is so renowned for. If you're as taken by this piece as I am, check out the Root Coffee Table and Root King Chair in the same range. Simply beautiful.