Ecology

The philosophy of wastelessness

Using reclaimed raw material
Renovation of old buildings
Our showroom
Built from an old barn

Be the environmentally conscious person that our world needs.

“Careless disposal of materials, that could be reused, is a form of vandalism or theft of natural material provided to us by mother earth.” Peter Singer, Practical Ethics.

Our history has surprised even ourselves. Life writes its own stories. We wanted to renovate an old building but ended up taking it down and rebuilding it using only reclaimed materials. Every brick or beam reclaimed by us, cleaned and reused. When the building became our new home, we soon realised, it was worth it. The reclaimed material into which we breathed new life outshone any new material we could have used. Materials which were sourced and harvested decades before, in ways that we can only speculate.

We hope you think the same. That you also are wondering what’s wrong, and what's right in terms of our environment. That it’s important to you, whether or not as a guest on this earth, you’ve taken too many liberties. Today, more than ever, we need to collectively think before we do, buy, or throw out. That it isn’t just about whether you want something, but about whether you need something. And if you need it, how it was created.

Our Showroom sits inside a renovated barn. Yes, a barn. We wanted the place we chose as our workplace and showroom to be made from the same beliefs we had when we built our house, and subsequently, our brand: that old building materials (Bricks, wood and metal) deserve a second chance at life. This place from which we work, respond to your queries, and pack our produce, is also a place of getting together, a place of learning. Here all of our projects come to life.

#NoweZycieStaregoSiedliska

Having a home, a place of manufacture as well as a solid philosophy, we decided to go a step further. We strive to save rundown estates in Poland from their demise and destruction. The obvious issue is that the flow of time is unkind to manmade structures. We surely aren’t able to save everything, however, we see no reason to have to use newly manufactured resources in building new structures. We believe that old structures deserve to be given new life, all they need is a bit of patience, inspiration and time. For example, certain things need replacing, such as structural beams, which come to us and are used to create new furniture, thereby creating that new life for the pieces that were once part of a forgotten memory. Thanks to this the cycle ends, and the resource returns to its old home, just in a different form to what it was previously. Its history remains, and what's more important, it continues, just as the structure it was always a part of. The structure then receives reclaimed structural beams that are suitable for the job they need to accomplish.

Another aim that we have set for ourselves is the renovation and revitalisation of heritage buildings. Thanks to our reclaimed materials since 2007 we have helped in the restoration of The Warsaw Citadel, the Tomb of Kosciuszko, The Leczycy, Nidzicy and Olsztyn castles, the Jerusalem Chapel, the Church of Kraszew, the Olsztyn Brewery, the Krasicki Hotel and many many others.

The process of acquiring and preparing our materials

“I have a large quantity of wood. House dismantled by hand.” Is a message that we often receive and one that brings us both joy, as well as a little bit of sadness.

Hand dismantling

Wood selection

Hand cleaning and de-nailing

Drying wood using heat which is a byproduct of a nearby biogas plant.

This message brings us joy because only 10% of wood reclaimed from old buildings in the United Kingdom is reused, the other 90% ends up as firewood (according to the Global Trees Campaign). The reason why it brings us sadness is because we have failed as people. We failed to pay attention to the flow of time. Old buildings fall to the elements too often, their majesty with each year weakening, until finally the decision to knock them down is made, a decision that cannot be changed. We destroy the good, to build something worse. That’s the sad truth of today. Instead of looking after the aging we buy new. Instead of repairing we throw away. Instead of caring we replace.

Our work in a large part is a journey across Poland. The reclaimed wood, bricks and metal we acquire more often comes from renovations of old houses, castles and other structures, than from demolitions of homes that couldn’t be saved. Large slabs of wood, beautiful floorboards, or structural components. In them, we immediately see a table made of reclaimed wood, a wardrobe, a bed, a door, or even a mirror. The satisfaction of knowing that they carry with them hundreds of years, and the story that tell is incredible. When unfortunately we have no word in a decision already made, we can of course save the raw material, that for decades has proudly fulfilled its function, in a different way that allows it to carry on living.

Manufacturing long-lasting furniture

For the manufacturing of our furniture, we do not use any: New wood, wood-like materials, plywood
We use only natural hardwax oils
A balanced method of producing furniture with a focus on hand made
We support local and traditional crafts

The preparation of wood – before it becomes a beautiful piece of furniture with history, is the most time-consuming part of the process. Before its use reclaimed wood has to be cleaned by hand, de-nailed, and dried. The wood we use is dried in a kiln heated using heat that is a byproduct of a nearby biogas plant. During this process, we do not use any chemical products that usually serve as an accelerant in the drying process. This allows us to retain the natural patina the wood has acquired over the many years of its use, as well as the wood’s hardiness. Working with reclaimed wood is arduous and yet crucial. For us, for nature, for You. Because we know that there is no better ecological resource.

Our manufacturing process cannot be rushed. Everything has to occur at its own pace, just as it was in the past.

We have a passion for creating pieces that are simple, yet unique. Simple because they are marked by the hands of the people that created them, who draw on the experience passed down from their grandparents and great-grandparents. Unique because we believe in good tradesmanship and work culture. Our manufacturing process is very unorthodox, bowing down to history and tradition. Created in the soul of respect towards tradition, history and solid tradesmanship, our furniture will survive for decades, effortlessly outliving us. Aged wood to us is so valuable in fact that we use even the smallest pieces to create usable objects. In fact, the only things we discard are splinters. We can’t imagine it being otherwise. We believe, that every piece of wood contains a piece of history, some were once furniture, and others formed the structural elements of structures.

Wood acquired tens of even hundreds of years ago was and is much tougher and hardier than the wood that we have access to these days because in the past we respected the natural cycle of time. In the past wood was cut down in the winter such that the sap production is as low as possible. Our furniture is produced with respect and love towards nature, humans, and history. Over the 12 years since our company was formed, we haven’t once caused the cutting down of even a single tree. Our products are free from harmful chemicals such as formaldehyde. We also do not use any substitutes for solid wood such as MDF, Plywood or Engineered wood, even for the parts of our furniture that are hidden from sight. Every board, every beam used to create your piece of furniture was saved from its fate as firewood.

The right choices matter

Using recycled paper for marketing material
Supporting local trades, and using reclaimed materials to create marketing materials
Packing products using environmentally responsible packaging
We pick and use environmentally conscious and local delivery options

Our environmentally conscious approach does not end when a piece of furniture is made. Everything that surrounds our manufacturing process, all background works are also considered just as much as the actual manufacture. Wherever we have a choice, we chose to be environmentally responsible, even with our marketing. Our unique tote bags are made by a small local tailor who uses recycled or second-hand material that is often unwanted or not modern. We love the fact that this means that each bag is different from the previous one. Every detail brings us joy. Perhaps you have received a piece of promotional literature from us, every one of which was handwritten. That is the only way of expressing emotion and passion through written media. All paper used for this is also recycled material - the paper is a waste product from printing presses. If it can be reused, we are all for it!

Creating any marketing material, especially the print kind, we always make conscious decisions. We work with local firms for whom sustainable growth is important. We chose paper certified as recycled. We strive for all of our efforts, even the smallest ones to be sustainable and environmentally conscious. Every item created in our workshop is unique. Therefore we do not allow even the smallest piece of wood to go past unused. We use the smallest pieces for coasters, pencil cases, trays, containers, or even for our packaging.

We believe that even the smallest change in our habits, and a simple respect towards nature, and human work can bring our planet some peace. We believe that there is still a chance.

Reclaimed wood is not only beauty
and great durability

It is also taking care of nature, thanks to which we have saved:

Thousands of trees

On average a tree produces around 118kg of oxygen every single year.
Two fully grown trees are enough to supply oxygen to a family of four.

About us