Walk into any furniture store and you’re bound to find truckloads of synthetic materials, non-durable design and questionable manufacturing standards. Entrepreneur Phantila Phataraprasit set out to change all of that with a furniture line made from sustainable materials and a guarantee of a long usable life.
The mission of U.S.-based furniture company Sabai is to produce comfortable, responsibly built furniture that avoids the landfill as long as possible. It achieves this goal by selectively producing all furniture orders on demand to avoid excess waste and resources required for storage. In the first few years in business, Phataraprasit has racked up a list of awards including being named a part of the Forbes 30 Under 30 Class of 2023 and making the list of Inc.’s 100 Female Founders.
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Additionally, customers can custom design sofas, loveseats and chairs that are available in a variety of colors, a few fabric selections and three types of legs. Sabai also makes coffee tables and decor items to match any interior design theme.
Meanwhile, wood materials for all products are sustainably sourced. For example, The City Table is made from fallen ash trees from Baltimore that are salvaged from the waste pile. Similarly, wood for the couches and loveseat are made with FSC-certified lumber.
The upholstery options also take the environment into consideration with options of recycled velvet or upcycled poly. Legs for the furniture are then made from locally-sourced wood or non-toxic machined solid aluminum. In addition, all pieces are made without toxins so there is no off-gassing.
In an effort to drive the company towards its now-achieved goal of becoming the first closed-loop furniture program in the United States, Sabai launched two key programs. The first is known as “Repair Don’t Replace”. Each furniture option is manufactured in North Carolina and flat-shipped to customers for in-home assembly. With this method, each individual piece of furniture is designed so it can be replaced. That means if a cushion, cover, leg, or arm becomes damaged, it can be replaced with minimal waste. All original and replacement orders are sent in plastic-free packaging.
The second initiative is called Sabai Revive. It’s a buy-back program for used furniture. If you’re ready to replace your Sabai furniture, the company will buy it back at up to 20% above the estimated resale value for a store credit towards your next purchase or 15% above as a cash sale.
Images via Sabai
