Celebrate Earth Day with...

Sustainable Furniture Pioneer Thomas Bina

Make your home more eco-friendly not just on Earth Day, but every day, with pieces from designer Thomas Bina.

This Los Angeles native is an early innovator of sustainable design, with a globetrotting nature and a fascination for exotic materials. Bina launched his first sustainable furniture movement with a capsule collection of reclaimed pieces in 2003. 

Sustainable living became a core value in his work long before up-cycling was in vogue and, nearly three decades later, Bina is still committed to people and planet.

The self-taught designer, who has notched up stints in Indonesia, Brazil, Mexico and Vietnam, says his addiction to adventure helped hone his eye for design.

“I love to create pieces that showcase their soul,” Brazilian peroba, for example, is a beautiful hardwood that looks like elephant skin. It doesn’t need heavy veneers or a paint finish; it functions best in its purest form.”

While he continues to combine raw beauty with precision craftsmanship, he also has a forward-thinking dedication to using materials and processes that have a minimal impact on the earth, like salvaging wood from the sea shipping industry.

Crafted by hand, his pieces are a balance of classic with contemporary. He now works with wood, stone, steel and concrete to produce textured elements, often with a mid-century flavor. Bina's bold and unusual blending of materials makes his versatile range of pieces reflect a sense of elegant refinement and subtle departure.

To top it all off, the quality of Bina’s work is long lasting. In a world flooded with low quality home décor products, often needing to be replaced, consumers of Thomas Bina pieces can rest easy, knowing they’ve purchased goods that are sourced ethically and designed for longevity.

Take steps toward a better future and shop more often with sustainability in mind. Have a happy Earth Day.