Von Löwen Designs

Congratulations to Copeland Furniture who was recently named the winner of the second annual Sage Award. Sponsored by the American Home Furnishings Alliance (AHFA) and Cargill’s BioH Polyols, the Sage Award recognizes true innovation, excellence, and leadership within the home furnishings and bedding industries in the areas of sustainable business practices, social responsibility and profitable growth.

Evolving from just a one-man operation in an old garage in East Corinth, Vermont, to a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility on the banks of the Connecticut River in Bradford, Copeland had made a commitment to earth friendly manufacturing practices long before ‘green’ became the next marketing strategy in residential furniture. It seems as though the local culture in Vermont (always a great place to hang your hat) has historically placed a high value on preservation, and can be witnessed practically everywhere – from Vermont’s pristine, picturesque landscapes and forests, to the many small towns permeating with cherished and commemorated New England architecture. Maybe it’s just the energy here; but there’s no doubt that these values continue to endure, penetrating deep into the core of the Copeland Furniture mindset.

Copeland Furniture sources most of their lumber locally from the flourishing Northern Forest and are actively involved with the Rainforest Alliance’s SmartWood program. Moreover, Copeland is one of the founding members of the Sustainable Furnishings Council, and one of only eight companies worldwide that qualify for the Council’s silver exemplary status.

Copeland Furniture’s environmental initiatives touch every aspect of operations, with 90 percent of the electricity used to power their manufacturing equipment coming from low emission resources. They are converting their heating plant from oil-fired hot water to wood-fired and utilizing their own waste scrap as fuel, in addition to taking steps to reduce the use of all non-recyclable materials in their packaging. A water based, formaldehyde free finish may be specified for all Copeland Furniture pieces. These finishes are every bit as durable as a traditional catalyzed lacquer with the added benefit of drastically reduced VOC emissions at the factory and off-gassing in the home. Regardless of the totality of Copeland’s achievements, their sentiment toward sustainability remains a dynamic process of continuous improvement, rather than a determined and fixed criterion.

With a solid selection of furnishings for your bedroom, office, and dining room, together with a nice assortment of finishes and hardware, Copeland Furniture is well worth a look for anyone with an appreciation for designs strongly influenced by the Arts & Crafts, Mission, Shaker, and Scandinavian movements.

They say a picture is worth 1,000 words, so before you leave be sure to visit Von Löwen Designs to view an assortment of refreshing examples in kitchen and bath design concepts, refined palette and interior finishes, and sustainable yet chic, green remodeling ideas that may encourage and inspire your next remodel or home improvement project.

Located in Mettlach, near the borders of Luxembourg and France, on the river Saar in western Germany, the Villeroy & Boch ceramic factory and Keramikmuseum are housed on the grounds of a former abbey dating back to the 10th century. Jean-François Nikolaus Boch founded the factory on this site in 1809, and the company of Villeroy & Boch resulted from a merger with Nicolas Villeroy in 1836.

During their legendary golden age of 1885 – 1910, Mettlach was beyond a doubt the most prestigious stein crafting facilities in the world; with the V & B tower trademark considered synonymous for quality, style, and artistry – and continues to be one of the most well known and sought after stein collectibles today.

In the course of their history, Villeroy & Boch has developed from a mere manufacturer of high-quality ceramics into a lifestyle specialist of worldwide renown. Flourishing into four divisions including: Tableware, Kitchen, Bathroom and Wellness, and Tiles – Villeroy & Boch is represented in 125 countries.

Rooted in a long tradition of excellence and distinction since their inception, Villeroy & Boch established their foundation on not only their mastery of steins and pottery; but also an ecological commitment and a strong sense of direction toward sustainability. Revolutionary manufacturing techniques implementing energy-efficient kiln technology in 1830, offering insurance for their work force around 1820, and concern for agriculture and woodland utilization all the way back to 1850, shows a level of accountability that green businesses of today as well as the future could learn from.

With support from Villeroy & Boch for the WWF initiative The Global 200, artist Stefan Szczesny designed a colossal ceramic mural titled the ‘Network of Life’. With claims of being the largest ceramic ‘puzzle’ on earth; spanning more than 350 square meters and consisting of over 137,000 pieces, the mosaic creation was displayed at the WWF Expo 2000 in Hannover, Germany. Together with the ‘Earth Spirit’ (kinda’ looks like a giant Woody Woodpecker to me) and Schinkel Fountain, the Network of Life has now found a home in the park of the Old Abbey and Tower – referred to as ‘Living Planet Square’ in Mettlach, and has been directly responsible for over two million € in WWF contributions alone.

Today, process-integrated environmental protection, environmentally friendly products and environment-related research projects are the main focus of the ecological commitment of Villeroy & Boch. The emphasis is laid on the improvement of the energy and raw material efficiency, the resource protection by improving the production process, and above all, the reduction of the wastewater load and the emission of CO2 in all steps of the process. Moreover, every single worker plays a role. This is why Villeroy & Boch promotes self-responsibility and commitment to the aspects of environmental protection in every single department, field of activity and beyond.

Offering an ever growing collection of awe-inspiring tiles, ceramics employing easy maintenance innovations such as ‘ceramicplus,’ tableware, china, cutlery, gifts and accessories, a variety of both top-mount and under-mount sinks for the kitchen (available in 19 colours), a medley of pampering bathroom luxuries including: furniture, vanities, mirrored cabinets, sinks and tubs, steam showers, toilets – incorporating ‘PurAir’ odor-sensitive technology, water saving fixtures and even towel warmers; it won’t be too hard to loose track of time when your viewing the many catalogs of Villeroy & Boch.

They say a picture is worth 1,000 words, so before you leave be sure to visit Von Löwen Designs to view an assortment of refreshing examples in kitchen and bath design concepts, refined palette and interior finishes, and sustainable yet chic, green remodeling ideas that may encourage and inspire your next remodel or home improvement project.