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It's Hip to be "Old"
Growing up I had an image of antique furniture as something from someone's attic - old, dusty, dingy and drab.  Boy was I wrong!  As I grew older, I became exposed to a wider variety of pieces.  I also saw what wonderful things could be done in refurbishing old pieces to either their former glory or all new heights.  Repainting and reupholstering with interesting (and often unexpected) colors and patterns can make what might have been a "boring" piece a real focal point to a room.  

What Makes It Green?
An antique by definition is between 50 and 100 years old.  It's considered desirable because it's condition, rarity or an interesting feature.  Keeping these items in circulation is good for the environment because they aren't adding to our landfill volumes.  Using antique and vintage furniture also helps save trees that would have been used in the creation of new pieces.  Energy and water from the production processes are also conserved.  Another often overlooked benefit to owning antique furniture, it that it can be passed down to future generations.  These pieces can stand the test of time and help our children's children see the value and beauty of "something old".

What You Can Do

The amount of waste created by each person has nearly doubled in the last twenty years, increasing from 2.7 pounds per person, per day to 4.4 pounds per person, per day.

I am in love with the Swedish, Scandinavian and Nordic antiques and vintage furniture, art, lighting and accessories at Bjork Antikt (www.bjorkantikt.com).  Their pieces have clean lines, interesting shapes and amazing colors - showing that just because furniture is "old" doesn't mean it can't be hip too.