Find Healthier Products for Your Next Project With mindful MATERIALS

nat rosasco • June 27, 2016

Many interior designers today are attempting to use products that take the health of consumers and the environment into consideration. This can be difficult given the millions of chemicals that aren’t inventoried by the Toxic Substance Control Act, which can potentially cause harm when used in the built environment. Specifying healthier products can be a challenge, but thanks to mindful MATERIALS, it’s becoming less of a burden.

There are many types of product health certifications that are already in existence. Because there are so many, streamlined optimization and transparency information can be a bit lacking. mindful MATERIALS consists of a spreadsheet and labeling system that offers straightforward, comprehensive specification information, so designers can easily select the products they need, in an informed manner.

In order for manufacturers’ products to be incorporated into the mindful MATERIALS program, they need to fill out the mindful MATERIALS Spreadsheet for each product. The spreadsheet denotes whether products have certain certifications or attributions. These include Health Product Declarations , Declare. , Cradle to Cradle , GreenScreen , and CAS , among others. Anyone searching for this sort of specification information can easily see it all in one place.

The labeling system consists of The Transparency Label, which is placed on product binders in resource libraries. The label provides the main optimization and transparency information about the product, offering a quick reference for anyone interested.

Designers, architects, contractors, or others wanting to be more involved with this initiative can join the mindful MATERIALS Collaborative. Members of the Collaborative work together to collect and share information, establishing a bridge between designers and manufacturers.

Anne Rezac, John Mlade, and Susan Heinking, who are all helping lead the mindful MATERIALS initiative, recently presented mindful MATERIALS: Distinguishing Green & Healthy Materials at the NRA Show. They noted, “It’s part of our responsibility to care about what goes in our buildings…We need to be knowledgeable and educate clients.” mindful MATERIALS takes all of the complexity out of choosing healthier products, while also increasing awareness of them. With higher awareness, consumers will begin to care more about what goes into their buildings. In turn, these consumers will encourage manufacturers to create healthier products.

mindful MATERIALS is free for users (designers, architects, and others looking for specification information), partners, and manufacturers to join. If you’re interested in more information on how to get involved, please visit their website. To learn how we focus on health with our own products, please click here.

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Inventory Sale

By nat rosasco • January 22, 2019

Reclaimed Table's huge selection of one-off, custom table tops are being sold at deep discounts at our Villa Park showroom. Find the durable tables you need for your next project, at prices you won't come across again!

Client Feature: Oak Tables & Benches for Navy Pier's Centennial Vision

By nat rosasco • July 17, 2018

Chicago’s iconic Navy Pier has always been a popular attraction since it opened just over 100 years ago in 1916. It currently welcomes 9 million guests per year. As explained on the Navy Pier website, the Pier was designed by architect Charles Sumner Frost and was originally based on architect’s Daniel Burnham’s “the People’s Pier” in his 1909 Plan of Chicago . It was originally known as “Municipal Pier,” but was renamed in 1927 in honor of the World War 1 Navy personnel who were housed there. As we blogged about a couple of years ago , Navy Pier has been undergoing renovations in honor of its “Centennial Vision” to reimagine and enhance the pier. While updating the pier with new programming and a greener landscape, this vision has also been attracting more local eateries ( like Tiny Tavern ) and shops, creating a space that’s more inviting to local Chicagoans. After providing pieces for the first phase of the remodel last year, we were pleased to continue to be part of this project for the recently completed phase two. Partnering with Gensler, we provided white oak tables and benches near the main entrance and for the brand new, 200,000 square foot Family Pavilion that features over 50 businesses. Fortunately, these pieces were created not only with their visual aesthetic in mind, but also to impressively withstand this sort of high traffic area. We also built the reclaimed red and white oak blade signs flanking all of the restaurants and shops, which creates a unified look within the complex. Much like the Pier, these signs have an interesting, rich history behind them. The red and white oak wood used to make the signs were actually horse fences on a farm in Mercy County, Kentucky that dates back to the late 1800s. Mercer county was one of the first settlements in the state, and the farm itself, Shawnee Springs, was originally over 2,000 acres. In the 1970s the farm was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. We knew the Navy Pier project was the right one for this specific wood-- historic wood for an historic landmark. (See our other applications of reclaimed red and white oak Kentucky horse fence here .) Check out photos of our tables, benches, and signs at the recently updated and unveiled Pier below. And if you’re in the Chicagoland area, you can check them out for yourselves in person, along with a whole host of entertainment on the Pier. Interested in some durable tables and benches for a high-traffic area? Contact us here to get started on your next project.

Aging Booker's Bourbon: Finding the 'Sweet Spot' for Flavor

By nat rosasco • June 18, 2018

When it comes to aging bourbon, Booker’s small batch bourbon has the process literally down to a science. Currently produced by the Jim Beam distillery, it was Jim Beam’s grandson, Booker Noe, who founded this brand in 1992 with bourbon from barrels he personally selected. According to the Booker’s Bourbon website, Booker was actually raised at a Kentucky distillery and brought his family’s six generations of master distillery knowledge to his bourbon batches. How does Booker’s perfectly age their bourbon? As we pretty much all know, bourbon ages in wooden barrels. When the weather becomes hot and humid, like it does during those sticky Kentucky summers, the wood expands and absorbs the bourbon, allowing for a chemical interaction between the bourbon and the wood. In colder weather, the wood contracts and the bourbon escapes the barrel’s walls. This interaction changes the spirit’s taste and color. The longer bourbon is in the barrel, the smoother the taste, (up to a certain point, that is). Barrels are kept in rackhouses where temperatures can easily be regulated. Rackhouses were originally built out of stone with several wooden floors and an exposed dirt basement to control humidity and large temperature swings. The windows were designed to keep the buildings well-ventilated.