One Workplace and Uhuru Launch Heirloom Design

Heirloom Design, a new joint venture between One Workplace and Uhuru Design, was formed to slow the carbon-intensive cycle of furniture refresh. The commercial interiors industry offers programs to refurbish or recycle some products, but founding partners Dave Bryant and Jason Horvath want to transform the current model so as to meet the urgent need to eliminate waste.

Indeed, with buildings and the contents inside making up as much as 40 percent of our collective embedded carbon footprint, it’s an idea whose time has come. Heirloom Design brings together makers and manufacturers on a platform that showcases new offerings and – once available – pieces for reuse and resale will also be featured on the site.

Bryant is vice president at One Workplace, the leading interior solutions provider on the West Coast, offering contract furniture, design services, and technology under one roof. Always striving to find out what’s next for the A&D community, he had two key conversations about sustainability that generated the idea for Heirloom Design.

One of his friends, responsible for global design and real estate for a large tech company, expressed concern that most of the firm’s discarded furniture was hauled off to a landfill. “It bothered him that his division, responsible for creating great spaces, was the most wasteful part of the business,” Bryant noted.

Bryant then recalled an earlier conversation he had with a woodworker who crafted a crib for his son. When a colleague’s wife was expecting a child, the artisan refinished the piece and let the couple borrow it. It was passed on again and again, and at least six more children used the crib. It was the perfect example of a redefined circular economy, one that Bryant decided would be a game-changer for the contract realm.

“If a product is designed well enough and made well enough, its original form doesn’t have to change. With some minor adjustments, you can bring something back to first quality. Some of these pieces can actually improve over time, just like antiques and heirlooms. I knew that if we could figure out how to bring that to the commercial design space we could begin to make real progress,” he explained.

Bryant called Horvath, co-founder, chief creative officer, and president of Brooklyn-based furniture company Uhuru Design, to brainstorm. “I picked up the phone and called Jason, because the Uhuru Design team is really all about taking reclaimed material and putting thoughtful New American design behind all of the products that they make.”

The Heirloom Design concept was in perfect alignment with the Uhuru Design ethos. Horvath acknowledged that it’s not always easy to maintain a sustainable approach in consumer-oriented society. “We have always strived to make great furniture that lasts forever. As we transitioned from bespoke art furniture to the contract side, everything shifted. It’s disheartening for us as makers to carry out a project for two or three years, only to realize that our products just disappear into the ether.”

Horvath was also troubled when he considered the prevailing fast furniture life cycle, and how that contributes to the waste generated by individuals and corporations. “The contract furniture world relies on manufacturers selling something new every few years. It’s similar to the fashion industry in that way. With Heirloom Design, we can still do that while understanding that we can put classic design out there that can be reused.”

And although manufacturers are using the best possible materials, that doesn’t mean the entire process is ideal for the environment. “The industry has focused on making higher-quality products out of sustainable materials, and there’s lower carbon in the production. Yet, the rate of things going into the landfill has not slowed down. Each year more than 12 million tons of furniture goes into landfills,” Bryant said.

He noted that he wanted to be able to trace the journey of each Heirloom piece, inspired by the crib artisan’s idea. “The maker wanted to put a brass tag at the bottom with the names of the babies that were a part of the crib’s story. So, we actually have a little brass tag with a QR code on it that’s affixed to each piece of furniture. People can see the bios of the makers, where the material came from, and each buyer.”

The QR code provides the purchaser with the story behind a table or chair, and that has added appeal in a time of uncertainty. This information helps to create a personal connection with value beyond monetary worth.

“We’ll know where each piece of furniture has been, where it’s going, and all of the people that have come into contact with it. The user will have a story around their utilization of their item, and then it will be passed on. Other people will have their stories to add. The buyer understands that it’s theirs to use for a period of time, and that they’re responsible for making sure that it has a future life. It’s changing the mindset from ownership to stewardship,” Bryant added.

It’s a change that bodes well for people and the planet. Bryant and Horvath decided early on that rather than only feature products from One Workplace and Uhuru Design, they wanted to get as many people involved as possible. “We felt strongly that this shouldn’t be exclusive to a small group. It should be inclusive of anybody that’s wanting to make the same commitments we are,” Bryant noted.

With a variety of companies already signed on, Heirloom Design is more than a maker hub— it’s a mission. “This isn’t just another furniture line or program. It’s a movement for the greater good,” Horvath said.