Check out some of the places you can buy sustainable furniture on a budget
Fast throw away furniture may not be best for the environment but there is no doubt that it’s generally cheaper and in great supply. More sustainable furniture on the other hand can be more expensive and out of the price range of a lot of people.
However, if you look hard enough it is possible to get affordable eco-friendly furniture on a budget.
Using a maximum budget of $600.00 (£500.00) I have found some great furniture from UK suppliers such as the Cornish based Sustainable Furniture Company, Pottery Barns UK subsidiary West Elm as well as some ethnic and bohemian style furniture from sustainable retailer Ian Snow.
I have done some of the hard work to give you a head start, looking at some of the websites offering affordable eco-friendly furniture. So read on to explore the websites that I personally rate for your next affordable, sustainable, and environmentally friendly furniture purchase.
Contents:
- Is sustainable furniture more expensive?
- What makes sustainable furniture sustainable?
- West Elm
- Wayfair
- Sustainable Furniture Company
- Bombinate
- Myakka / Ian Snow
- Etsy
- Facebook Marketplace
1. Is sustainable furniture more expensive?
“Affordable” can be a subjective question – one person’s easily affordable can be another person’s unattainable riches. For the article, I was set a budget of $600.00 (approx. £500.00) to see what affordable eco-friendly and cheap sustainable furniture is available up to and around that price.
There is no doubt, that furniture that is eco-friendly does carry a larger price tag but it is not beyond the price barrier of the average family.
2. What makes sustainable furniture sustainable?
Sustainable furniture is designed to be used for a lifetime. It is more of an investment purchase rather than the cheap fast-fashion furniture that breaks and gets sent to landfills after 10 uses or discarded when current trends change.
Eco-friendly furniture is specifically designed to reduce its environmental impact and to have continual re-use and recycling ability. The materials used are environmentally friendly and sustainable with finishes designed to have fewer or no VOCs.
When purchasing sustainable furniture, look out for furniture with FSC, CARB2, Greenguard, C2C or Oeko-Tex certification and ratings. The companies designing and producing affordable sustainable furniture are happy to promote and shout about their eco-friendly credentials making it easier when picking your next purchase.
3. West Elm
With 60% of their products supporting at least one sustainability initiative, you can’t go wrong purchasing furniture from West Elm. This is the UK subsidiary of Pottery Barn in the US.
Their eco-friendly credentials are quite outstanding. With FSC certified wood and recycled and upcycled materials. West Elm endeavours to ensure there is minimal waste.
With the added benefit of being one of the first brands in the US to be Fair Trade Certified, you are not only purchasing affordable eco-friendly furniture but ensuring the producers and communities are looked after with fair wages and healthy working conditions.
Some of my favourite products under $600 (£500) from West Elm include the mid-century cabinet made of FSC certified eucalyptus with a water-based Acorn finish.
It comes with a Greenguard gold certification so you can be assured there are no nasty chemicals or VOC emissions.
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4. Wayfair
Wayfair is one of the largest choices of affordable sustainable furniture and homeware. It has a variety of products for the home from sustainably sourced wallpaper to chemical-free sustainable OEKO -Tex certified quick-dry cotton towel bales.
They stock thousands of sustainable products that sit under the £500.00 budget. You are sure to be able to find all sorts of products and bargains to suit, safe in the knowledge that your home is furnished with sustainable and stylish items of furniture.
Some of my favourites include the Bramble hill bed frame made from solid sustainable wood, as well as the Chowchilla Dining table made from manufactured wood, with its geometric angular legs and two-tone tabletop. This looks stylish and modern and would blend in with most home décor.
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5. Sustainable Furniture
Sustainable Furniture Company is a family-run Cornish based company that has based its whole vision on being able to source and sell affordable ethical and sustainable furniture. They ensure all aspects of their business are carried out as ethically as possible, supporting the local community as well as the supply chains they purchase from.
The products are a step away from the fast throw away furniture, instead opting for traditional tried and tested craftsmanship creating products of longevity. Whereby some products go over the £500 budget, the products that are available under £500 are beautifully crafted, solid robust and designed to last.
Some of the products within our budget include stools, chairs, tables, and chests of drawers all in neutral and natural tones, either manufactured out of sustainable timber or wicker materials.
Some examples I particularly like include the Scandi natural wicker armchair, this affordable outdoor eco-friendly furniture is suitable for indoor or outdoor use:
6. Bombinate
Bombinate is an online platform that brings together artisans and craftsmen across the globe to showcase and sell their sustainable quality products.
Although selling products at the upper end of the budget and beyond, Bombinate sell some very stylish “consciously manufactured” products, with a byline of “made in workshops, not sweatshops”, their quality pieces are often limited edition and exquisitely crafted.
Although it may not be possible to kit out your whole property with items from Bombinate, they have some beautiful pieces and if your budget can stretch are worth a look.
One inexpensive item of eco-friendly furniture on offer is the Retrostar Lounge Chair, which is available in a variety of colours from a funky mustard-green and retro orange to a very classic night blue or masculine brown leather – the “Bauhaus meets mid-century design” is great, with its angular legs and velvet upholstery.
7. Myakka / Ian Snow
With their collaboration, Myakka has now come under the wing of the Ian Snow family and has joined forces to offer customers ethical and sustainably sourced furniture.
With a vintage bohemian vibe, the designs may not fit with everyone’s décor, however, not only is it guaranteed to be eco-friendly furniture, but for some products, the website also details its sustainability and fair-trade credentials.
For the furniture it produces, it details the number of workers employed, whether covered by health insurance, paid holidays, and additional benefits they get as well as detailing health and safety compliance.
You can pick up a hand-painted, plastic-free storage cupboard made from sustainable raw materials, safe in the knowledge that the manufacturer employs 38 people, both men and women who receive benefits in addition to their statutory wage with the company being involved in social programmes for the local community.
Purchasing furniture from Ian Snow provides both affordable sustainable and ethical furniture for the consumer.
8. Etsy
With a similar ethos to Bombinate, cheap sustainable furniture can be purchased on Etsy’s online platform. Sellers can advertise their sustainable, often handmade eco-friendly furniture.
With a variety of prices and products, there are some lovely items of furniture from handmade pressed flower decorated lamps to side tables and desks.
With varying degrees of sustainability and eco-friendliness, a little reading and checking the finer print of the products needs doing. But there is some inexpensive sustainable furniture available for purchase for both indoor and outdoor use.
They have a nice array of affordable eco-friendly outdoor furniture like this handcrafted table with a choice of different legs:
9. Facebook Marketplace
Another way of purchasing eco-friendly affordable furniture is by purchasing second-hand. Facebook Marketplace has a vast array of different types of furniture at very affordable prices from sofas to wardrobes. By buying second hand, good quality furniture can be saved from landfills, making it sustainable and re-purposed.
With the added bonus of any harmful VOCs already being emitted from the furniture, by buying second-hand, there will be fewer chemicals emitted in your immediate environment.
From looking at all the websites, buying preloved and previously owned furniture was the most affordable way to purchase an affordable eco-friendly sofa or larger price tagged item within my allocated budget.
