Terra Furnishings

Link to HOME

2011-10-12T09:37:00.002-04:00

Dear Friends of Terra Furnishings,

This is a link to an incredibly beautiful, disturbingly powerful video about climate change on YouTube that was brought to our attention. Well worth the time to watch and to share with others.

Valentine's Day offer from Terra Furnishings

2011-01-31T12:29:00.007-05:00

Are you looking for a unique gift for that special someone this Valentine's Day? Why not have a look at Terra Furnishings for a fabulous gift idea like our lovely Bird Panel below. From now until February 14, take 5% off your entire order. Just use the promotional code BeMine at checkout to get your discount.

New green car options unveiled at Detroit Auto Show

2011-01-31T12:16:00.002-05:00

This year's Detroit Auto Show was was home to some of the latest developments in green car technology. The folks over at Inhabitat gave us an in-depth look at our driving future. Have a look and let us know what you think.

Great Gift Ideas From Terra Furnishings....

2010-09-21T13:28:00.002-04:00

With the holidays approaching, it's time to think about eco-friendly gifts for those special people in your life. Terra Furnishings has great gift items in all price ranges. Remember, prices on our site include shipping within the continental U.S.

Double Twist Stool

Terra Furnishings to exhibit at Team Detroit Green Fair

2010-06-23T15:03:00.002-04:00

Terra Furnishings will be showing their extensive line of products at the Team Detroit Green Fair in Dearborn, Michigan on Thursday, June 24. The first annual event is a place for businesses to showcase their products and services to the nearly 1,000 employees of Team Detroit (Ad Agency for Ford Motor Company).

This is a very exciting opportunity for us at Terra Furnishings and we'll post thoughts and photos after the event.

40th Anniversary of Earth Day is April 22nd, 2010....

2010-04-20T09:41:00.003-04:00

Earth Day is only two days away. What are you going to do to celebrate? We've got some links that might help you with ideas for:

Your home: White House suggests ways to aid environment

Your workplace: 40 Ways to Go Green in the Workplace

Your kids: Earth Day Activities for Kids

Your pets: Eco-Friendly Ideas for Pets

Everyone here at Terra Furnishings hopes you have a fun and eco-friendly Earth Day!

Terra Furnishings featured in Southern Bride Magazine

2010-01-07T09:02:00.003-05:00

Terra Furnishings is fortunate to be included in the Winter/Spring edition of Southern Bride Magazine. The Ibolili Volcano Stone Lamps are featured in the Earth Friendly Elements section under the "Fire" category. Thanks to Southern Bride and please check us out in the magazine.

How far are you from McDonalds?

2009-09-25T14:00:00.003-04:00

I saw this on the Groovy Green blog and was at first amazed and then somewhat frightened. This map shows the location of the 13,000 plus McDonald's restaurants in the U.S. The most McRemote location in the U.S? Meadow and Glad Valley, South Dakota are 107 miles from the nearest golden arches.

Product Feature: Buddha Panels

2009-07-28T15:53:00.004-04:00

Terra Furnishings carries an extensive line of home decor and accessories. One of our best selling product lines is wall decor which includes our lovely Buddha Panels.

All of our Buddha Panels are handcarved from Monkey Pod wood and finished in your choice of brown, white wash or tung oil. Each is shipped in three pieces with recessed hardware for hanging. We have two available designs including our Serene Buddha Panel (30" x 47") and our Ushnisha Buddha Panel (24" x 36").

Please have a look and let us know what you think.... we appreciate your comments!

Winner announced in latest giveaway!

2009-05-28T19:53:00.001-04:00

Congratulations to Elizabeth Diniz for winning the Terra Furnishings Memorial Day giveaway. Elizabeth will be receiving a lovely pair of hand-carved wall panels.

Terra Furnishings Memorial Day Giveaway.... Coconut Panels

2009-05-05T15:15:00.001-04:00

Terra Furnishings is giving away a pair of hand-carved decorative wall panels. These 12" x 12" panels depict coconut palms ready to drop their fruit. Crafted from sustainable monkey pod wood, they will bring a tropical flair to your décor. These items have an all-natural brown finish and include recessed hardware for hanging.

To enter for a chance to win this lovely pair of panels please visit Terra Furnishings and post a comment in this blog topic telling us what your favorite product is on our site. Please make sure to leave an email address in your comment so we can contact the winner. Submissions with no contact info will be disqualified. U.S. entries only, one entry per person. For contest updates, please follow us on Twitter (username: ecodecor).

Our Memorial Day giveaway will end on Monday, May 25th 2009 at noon EST and a winner will be randomly drawn at that time from all valid entries. Good luck and thanks for visiting Terra Furnishings!

How green is my guitar?

2009-05-04T09:39:00.003-04:00

Just found an interesting article about guitar manufacturers joining the sustainable wood movement. Historically, musical instruments have been made in large part from threatened hardwoods. It looks like things are slowly changing..... have a look here

101 uses for a beer bottle....

2009-04-27T20:32:00.008-04:00

The Terra Furnishings product line continues to grow with the addition of a new line of recycled glass jewelry. These lovely items are all made from glass bottles that are cut, fired and/or polished to make individual works of art. Have a look and let us know what you think.

Earth Day specials at Terra Furnishings

2009-04-22T10:49:00.001-04:00

Check out the Earth Day specials at Terra Furnishings including our lowest price ever on Buddha Panels. Happy Earth Day and happy shopping!

Terra Furnishings now on Twitter!

2009-04-09T12:51:00.004-04:00

Terra Furnishings has finally joined the masses at twitter.com. Look us up and we'll keep you updated on the new happenings on our website and in the eco-friendly world.

Jeff Hiller named new President of SFC

2009-03-16T07:13:00.005-04:00

The Sustainable Furnishings Council recently named Jeff Hiller as their new President. Congratulations to Jeff on his new position and to the SFC for a fine choice!

(AUSTIN, TX) – March 13, 2009 – The Sustainable Furnishings Council announced this week the promotion of Jeff Hiller as the new President of the leading green organization in home furnishings.

The SFC was founded by Gerry Cooklin in October 2006 as a non-profit coalition of suppliers, manufacturers, retailers and designers. It was the first of its kind in the industry, and gained the early support of prominent board members including one of the two co-founders of the U.S. Green Building Council, ranking staff of the World Wildlife Fund and Rainforest Alliance, and prominent organizations from all points in the supply chain including Four Hands, Room & Board, and World Market Center. The SFC has since grown to become the #1 organization in green home furnishings.

Going forward, the SFC has very aggressive plans for growth, member benefits, industry partnerships, and educational platforms, and has called on Jeff Hiller to lead the charge as the new President based on his extensive background in the industry, his marketing expertise and his past contributions in growing the organization, where he was one of the founding Board members and for the past two years has served as Chair of the Marketing & Education committee.

Hiller began his career at Leo Burnett in Chicago, one of the largest individual advertising agencies in the U.S. where he became the youngest VP/Account Director in the company’s history. He left to become owner/operator of The Arrangement, a furniture retailer that he grew into a thriving chain before selling to take on a “dream job” stint as Marketing/Creative Director for the NBA’s Houston Rockets franchise. He returned to the industry as VP/Marketing & Retail for Four Hands, a noted home furnishings importer and 3-time Inc 500 Fastest Growing Company. He now runs his PROaction Marketing Group in Austin, TX doing planning, buying, marketing and sales training for a variety of businesses, including many furniture wholesalers and retailers, a business he will continue in addition to his new responsibilities with the SFC.

“The prospects of the SFC are virtually limitless,” says Hiller. “I am assured by Mike Italiano, one of the USGBC co-founders, that we are miles ahead of where they were as an organization at a comparable point, and that is fast company to keep. Even so, there remain tens of thousands of manufacturers, retailers, and designers that we have an opportunity to impact, and it essential that we reach as many as possible.”

Hiller’s goals are to at least double membership over each of the next two years. At the same time, he wants to continue to develop programs that provide immediate benefit to members in improving the sustainability of their operations while helping them make sales now such as the variety of staff training programs and customer invitation events the SFC has been rolling out in recent months. A critical component will be developing closer partnerships with major companies and organizations throughout the home furnishings business that mutually further their own aims and those of the SFC.

“The time is now,” Hiller adds. “By 2011, sustainability will become the dominant topic of the day, as the worldwide economy settles down, the US administration focuses its efforts, and the next UN report on climate change is released. Companies will be scrambling all over themselves to get under the green umbrella then, and those that are doing the work now will be best able to capitalize on the shift. This is not only a moral imperative, but a business imperative as well.”

Next up on the SFC’s busy agenda is High Point Market, where they again will be presenting a variety of training and educational programs, including the new “GREENleaders” 6-hour certification course for manufacturers, retailers, reps and designers who want to gain more meaningful differentiation as expert in the area of green home furnishings.

Terra Furnishings Featured at Calfinder.com!

2009-02-26T13:42:00.002-05:00

Terra Furnishings would like to thank Calfinder.com for an excellent feature about our company and products. "The soursce for certified remodeling contractors", Calfinder is a free service connecting homeowners to prescreened home improvement professionals. They are dedicated to making the process of finding a high-quality, reliable contractor as simple as possible.

Please head over to Calfinder.com and browse their extensive home improvement information!

Terra Furnishings lotus panels on Interior Design...

2009-02-16T20:26:00.004-05:00

Emily Pilloton at Interior Design recently did a nice feature on the reclaimed teak lotus panels from our retail site. Please take a few minutes to visit the blog and have a look at all the other great info they provide!

How to shop for sustainable furniture....

2009-01-16T07:37:00.003-05:00

We came across a great article on MyHomeIdeas.com today and found a lot of very useful information about sustainable home furnishings. This is a very nice site with articles on almost every facet of interior design. Looks like we've got a lot of weekend reading ahead of us!

M Stetson blog features several products from Terra Furnishings

2008-12-22T13:49:00.003-05:00

When you get a chance, mosey on over to the M Steston blog. They have an excellent site dedicated to "just plain good ideas". In browsing their blog recently, we've seen discussions on topics ranging from interior design to travel and from fabric to books. They also seem to have a pretty good eye for eco-friendly home furnishings. Have a look!

Terra Furnishings now a proud member of the Sustainable Furnishings Council

2008-12-18T13:37:00.008-05:00

We are proud to announce that Terra Furnishings has been accepted as a member of the Sustainable Furnishings Council (SFC). The SFC currently has over 250 members and is growing strong with a presence at all major furniture trade shows throughout the country. SFC members lead the industry in developing awareness of best practices throughout their supply chains. This goal is accomplished by increasing purchases from suppliers that show continual improvement toward meeting the organization's high standards.

The SFC website describes the organization as follows:

"The Sustainable Furnishings Council is a non-profit balanced coalition of industry players founded at High Point, NC in October 2006 to promote sustainable practices among manufacturers, retailers, and consumers alike. The SFC recognizes the overwhelming scientific consensus that our world is experiencing dangerous global climate change. SFC members acknowledge the tremendous urgency, and will take immediate steps to minimize carbon emissions, waste stream pollutants, un-recyclable content and primary materials from unsustainable sources from any product platform under our control."

The goals of the SFC are:

To raise awareness of the sustainability issue
To assist companies in adopting good practices
To serve as an information clearing house
To create a symbol of assurance for consumers

You can do your part by supporting organizations that are SFC members!

Candy Colored Buddha features Terra Furnishings!

2008-12-09T17:40:00.003-05:00

If you get a minute, check out Candy Colored Buddha, an excellent design blog that recently featured several Terra Furnishings products. Ursula, the blog's author describes herself as "an interior design addict, lover of all things colorful, fun, beautiful and glamourous". She does a wonderful job with the blog and we are excited that she took the time to have a look at our site.

Another great blog to check out.....

2008-12-01T20:25:00.002-05:00

Terra Furnishings has had the good fortune of being featured on The Lacquered Peacock. Please take a few minutes and check out this excellent collection of e-commerce website reviews with a great eye toward interior design! It will be well worth your time.

Terra Furnishings products featured on Material Girls....

2008-11-26T13:37:00.002-05:00

The Terra Furnishings collection of twist stools and end tables was recently featured on the Material Girls blog. The girls do a great job discussing all facets of interior design and have a wonderful blog. Please take a look if you get a chance!

Introducing our newest products.... eco-friendly jewelry!

2008-11-06T10:50:00.007-05:00

Terra Furnishings is proud to announce that we have recently launched a line of eco-friendly jewelry from Naturaleza Jewelry in Louisville, Kentucky. This collection incorporates all-natural materials to produce stunning creations for both every-day wear and that special occasion.

The craftsman behind these one-of-a-kind items is Marlon Obando Solano. Marlon was born in rural San Lorenzo, Nicaragua. He spent his formative years exploring the surrounding forests and mountains, learning about seeds, nuts and different types of wood.

His artistic process begins by collecting seeds and fallen wood from the forest floor. He then dries, cleans and cures his materials before carving, sanding and inlaying them to create his unique necklaces, earrings and rings. Marlon's work reflects his cultural heritage and nature and he is always experimenting with new design elments and innovative uses of natural materials.

Please have a look at Marlon's work at the Terra Furnishings website. Check back often for new jewelry from this amazing artist.

And the winners are...................

2008-10-31T23:30:00.002-04:00

We've had a really fun couple of weeks with our first giveaway and received a lot of entries. In addition to all the entries, the contest generated some really good ideas on how to make your household more eco-friendly. Thanks to everybody that participated!

Without further delay, the winners are:

Pottery Bowl - Keckie83
Wine Angle - Rachel Ann
Wine Angle - Windy Cindy

Congrats to the winners! We will be contacting you to get shipping details. Keep checking back for future giveaways and thanks again.

Only FIVE days left in our eco-friendly giveaway!

2008-10-27T06:59:00.002-04:00

We've had a great response to our giveaway and there are only five days left to enter. The drawing will be on Halloween night, October 31 at 10:00pm EST. So far, we've had more than 130 total entries and some really great ideas for making households more eco-friendly.

Get your entries in by Friday for a chance to win the serving bowl or one of the wine angles!

Enter our Eco-Friendly GIVEAWAY for a chance to win some great prizes!

2008-10-14T16:00:00.008-04:00

Here is your chance to win some cool home furnishing items. Terra Furnishings is giving away the following items from our website collection:

First prize (1 winner) - Handmade pottery Serving Bowl
Second prizes (2 winners) - Wine Angle

The lovely serving bowl is from our newly released line of pottery made by Mike Kuhn at Barefoot Pottery. The Wine Angle is a creative design from Mark Elliot at Elliot Woodworking and has been recently featured on Green Your Decor and Shak In Style.

To enter, post a comment in this blog thread telling us about something you've purchased or done in the last six months to make your household more eco-friendly. You can receive extra entries for any of the following for a maximum total of five entries per person:

Blog about this contest or our website, http://www.terrafurnishings.com/
Make our blog a favorite on Technorati
Become a "follower" of our blog
Add our logo button or link to your sidebar

Please leave your email address in your comment or have it public on your blog so that we can contact you. Entries with no contact information will be disqualified. Limited to one prize per person. Can only ship to U.S. addresses.

The drawing will be held at 10 pm EST on Halloween night, October 31st and the winners will be announced here. The winners will be chosen by Random.org.

Good luck from Terra Furnishings!

Introducing our new eco-friendly line of pottery....

2008-10-05T06:21:00.008-04:00

Terra Furnishings is happy to announce that we have launched an exclusive line of handmade, eco-friendly pottery. These beautiful pieces are the work of Mike Kuhn from Barefoot Pottery in Livonia, Michigan. We will have more info about Mike in the near future including videos of him in action!

Terra Furnishings Press Release:

http://www.prlog.org/10139878-terra-furnishings-announces-the-launch-of-wwwterrafurnishingscom.html

Auto racing challenges manufacturers to go green...

2008-09-29T20:27:00.001-04:00

The "green" movement in motorsports gains significant momentum this weekend at Road Atlanta as one of endurance racing's crown jewels, Petit Le Mans kicks off for the 11th time. This race will be the first to use the Green Racing Protocols as developed by SAE International, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the American Le Mans Series (ALMS).

This "race within a race" will be contested as part of the 10-hour, 1000 mile event on October 4th. A special trophy will be given to the manufacturer that, based on specified criteria, best represents sustainability. The factors that will be used to deterimine the winner of the Green Challenge include:

Weight
Vehicle speed
Distance travelled
Exhaust emissions
Environmental footprint of fuel used

One of the favorites in the Green Challenge is Corvette Racing (above). The team switched to e85 cellulosic ethanol at the beginning of this season. Cellulosic ethanol and grain-based ethanol produce the same end product from different feedstocks. Conventional ethanol is derived from grains such as corn, wheat or soybeans. There are many questions regarding the impact of conventional ethanol production on the food chain. By contrast, cellulosic ethanol is produced from a variety of biomass including agricultural plant wastes, sawdust and paper pulp.

Doug Fehan, Corvette Racing's Program Manager discussed the Green Challenge on SPEED TV's Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain last night (below). The Petit Le Mans race will be shown live on SPEED TV.

What is a sustainable forest?

2008-09-28T17:42:00.001-04:00

Many people and companies claim that their wood products are sustainable, but what does that really mean? There is a plethora of information and misinformation regarding forest sustainability.

The generally accepted definition of a sustainable forest, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) goes something like this:

the stewardship and use of forests and forest lands in a way, and at a rate, that maintains their biodiversity, productivity, regeneration capacity, vitality and their potential to fulfill, now and in the future, relevant ecological, economic and social functions, at local, national, and global levels, and that does not cause damage to other ecosystems.

There are more than 50 organizations worldwide that certify that these forest management practices are met. Some of the more common certification standards include:

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI)
Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes (PEFC)

The twist stools, end tables, wall panels and accessories sold by Terra Furnishings are hand carved in Thailand and are certified by the Royal Forestry Department. Thailand has promoted sustainable wood growth and harvesting practices dating back to the 1950s. Their guidelines insure that land is reclaimed for reforestation and controlled harvesting while allowing the country's active woodcarving industry to thrive.

1% For The Planet.... making a difference

2008-09-18T12:52:00.001-04:00

We are proud to announce that Terra Furnishings has joined 1% For The Planet and will be contributing 1% of our sales to environmental groups around the world.

Since 2002, 1% For The Planet has accepted members who understand that industry and ecology are inherently connected. Now with over 700 members, each donating to their choice of over 1500 environmental organizations, 1% For The Planet has become a recognized force for change. In 2006, the organization was featured on the NBC Nightly News segment "Making a Difference" in which Rehema Ellis profiled founders Yvon Chouinard and Craig Matthews. Video of that segment is available HERE.

We hope that other companies will join us in making a commitment to our planet.

Unlimited energy? Are the oceans the answer?

2008-09-11T20:16:00.000-04:00

People have talked for decades about harnessing the tides to create electricity. Unlike solar and wind power, the tides produce a steady and predictable source of energy. So, what is being done to utilize this virtually limitless resource?

A company by the name of Ocean Renewable Power Company has been working in Maine to make this dream a reality. A recent MSNBC article details their attempts to power homes using nothing but the twice-a-day tidal changes.

Is this the future of power generation? The cure for our dependence on foreign oil? Tell us what you think!

Some more info about our products.....

2008-09-05T17:44:00.000-04:00

Here is a really cool PowerPoint presentation about how our products are made. Just click on the link below to download and enjoy! (Note: this file is about 25mb and may take a few minutes to save. You must have PowerPoint installed to view this file)

From tree limb to art....

About our wood products.....

2008-09-04T15:09:00.000-04:00

Most of our furniture is made from the wood of the Monkey Pod (Samanea saman) tree. Also known as the Rain Tree, it is a stunning, fast-growing tree that can reach up to 80 feet tall with a 5 foot diameter trunk.

Thai craftsmen use the branches of the Monkey Pod tree for most of their carving work, thus allowing the tree to live on. Our stools, tables and wall panels are hand-crafted works of art and each is one-of-a-kind.

Welcome to Terra Furnishings!

2008-09-04T06:56:00.000-04:00

Terra Furnishings is here!

Who are we? Well, we are a retailer of eco-friendly home furnishings. Our products include stools, tables, spa essentials, wall panels, pottery and other household items. We are dedicated to bringing you products from around the world that are made from eco-sensitive materials and processes.

Visit us at www.terrafurnishings.com to see our complete line of products.