The Bywater-based furniture design team, Echo 9, has introduced a new dynamic to the local woodworking market, its creations not simply beautifully crafted pieces for the home, but each telling a particular story. As Echo 9 partner, Eric Lind, describes their focus, “We build our furniture with locally sourced, salvaged materials from our city’s architectural past. Each piece of wood tells a story – of the place from which it was sourced, of its original fabrication and function, of its maker, of the space and story it inhabited.
“Whenever possible, we try to include a narrative history describing the story of each piece – the significance and location of the furniture’s component parts, a story that places the piece of furniture within a particular time and location. We have a special interest in crafting objects that carry meaning through historical narrative – when a house is being renovated or rebuilt, we take great pride in repurposing the literal walls and floors of the building, crafting furniture that celebrates the history of that home.”
Sourcing the vast majority of their materials from neighborhood properties that are being demolished or renovated, Echo 9 not only saves good material from certain death in a landfill, but grants it new life in their designs. Lind and his partner, Michael Stivers, are part of a growing trend in design to repurpose and recycle local materials. As Lind points out, consumers are often complicated and confused by the prevalence of “green” marketing that is proffered “as some propagandistic softening of their true ecological costs.” He asks, “How green is a non-toxic, or low-VOC furniture piece if it is shipped thousands of miles to your doorstep? Why purchase a piece of pre-fab furniture made from allegedly sustainable materials if the product is built with planned obsolescence and will be sitting in a landfill within the decade?”
Lind sees Echo 9’s ecologically sustainable design and business model as different from larger “green producers in the industry. Echo 9 uses 100% salvaged, reclaimed, recycled materials; manufactures products that “carry the signature of enduring craftsmanship – a durability that, rather than supporting the disposable culture of mass production, invites a stewardship of the objects that honors the past and helps carry our history forward for future generations;” and produces furniture that is locally made from locally-sourced materials, which leaves a lower carbon footprint, but, perhaps more importantly, builds relationships between producers and consumers at the local level.
Much of Echo 9’s production is custom-built to client specifications, but all pieces honor the history of the lumber, making each piece aesthetically unique. Whether it is the lumber’s particular length, density, grain, or coloring, each piece has its individual characteristics that drive the aesthetic of each Echo 9 product.
You can find Echo 9’s pieces at Bon Castor, a new artist consignment shop opening February 1st at 3702 Burgundy Street, or can find out more about commissioning custom projects through their website at www.echo9furniture.com.
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Refab is another new green design project that has set down roots in Bywater. Inspired by the bright and bold colors of the neighborhood, Refab’s designer, Amanda Belskie, seeks to give new life to discarded items: “I am inspired by beautiful fabrics and design and just walking around my neighborhood seeing all of the amazing color combinations that people use on their houses. One of the first pieces of furniture I ever made was based on the colors of a shotgun house in the Marigny.
“I always start with furniture that I find in thrift stores, the trash, or that has been built from reclaimed materials. In the process of up-cycling a piece, I reuse as many of the inside materials as I can and paint it with leftover or recycled paint from The Green Project.”
Belskie’s keen eye for design allows her to imagine and create sleek armchairs and plush settees out of old items – all with a focus on affordability. Belskie’s aim is to provide local consumers with affordable options to purchase locally and sustainably crafted designs. “My goal is for my furniture to have a distinct look and to be recognizable. I think it stands out because I tend to use vibrant colors in either my fabric or paint choices and I am attracted to bold patterns. I also like the contrast of mixing traditional furniture and modern fabric to give a piece an updated look.”
While Belskie creates pieces for Refab based on Belskie’s design aesthetic, she also works with clients to create custom work based on individual desires. You can find Refab pieces at Creole Cottage (1817 Magazine Street) or can find out more about commissioning custom work through the Refab website, www.refabnola.com.
Caroline Stivers is a born-again Southerner and reformed Texan. After spending several years in the northeast freezing, forcing bland food down her gullet, and not saying “hello” to people on the street, she realized that she loves the sweaty summers, rich food, and friendly faces of the south. She is now a proud Bywater resident, busy renovating a money pit, working to get first-generation students into college, and pondering what to do with a recently obtained Arts Administration degree.
