Reclaimed Simplicity: Penny Bonda of Interior Design Takes Note of Moe Design Studio
by admin | July 20th, 2009
Andew Moe works with reclaimed wood and donates a portion of his profits
to The Alliance for International Reforestation (AIR)
Penny Bonda, an influential green interior designer and developer of REGREEN, the USGBC/ASID green residential renovation and interior remodeling program, recently covered Long Island City’s Andrew Moe’s sustainable furniture. In the Green Design section of Interior Design Magazine, Bonda writes:
Though trained as an interior designer, and popularly referred to as the “mother of green interiors” Penny’s expanded expertise includes green business practices, materials evaluation and application, training, leadership, and messaging. She joined with two of the most recognized thought leaders in the green movement, Diana Horvat and Ken Wilson, to form Ecoimpact Consulting—an exciting collaboration offering companies sustainable strategies for better business and the opportunity to work with experts who have a collective knowledge of the sustainability framework and a proven track record of success.
Furniture designer Andrew Moe has traveled a complicated journey to simplicity. Following in the multi-generational footsteps of his Norwegian forebears, Moe studied studio art and furniture making at Princeton and the Massachusetts College of Art before detouring into dance and the Argentine Tango. In 2003 he returned to woodworking and opened Moe Design Studio in New York.
Moe builds his furniture from resawn hardwood beams salvaged from dismantled buildings across the country – barns, warehouses, old mills – any of the approximately billion board feet of wood that is removed from buildings in the U.S. every year. “Each beam has a story and carries its history in its grain,” says Moe. “By reusing this material we reduce the impact on our landfills, eliminate the need to harvest trees, and are reminded of the simple beauty inherent in old wood.”
Andrew Moe, by the way, is the son of Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The plank doesn’t fall far from the barn.
This year Moe introduced Oslo, his first collection of 12 pieces. Cleanly designed with a minimalist purity and reasonably priced, the furniture received a lot of praise at ICFF 09. East coast ash, an indigenous hardwood, is the primary species, though others are available, and each piece is crafted by hand. Modern in design, Moe builds his furniture using traditional wood shaping techniques and joinery. He uses some non-toxic glue and his finishes are a water-based polycrylic.
Beginning in 2009 Studio MOE will donate 3% of its annual profits to The Alliance for International Reforestation (AIR), a non-profit organization which plants trees, establishes tree nurseries, and works with local communities in Guatemala and Nicaragua to help restore the health of the land. Since 1993 they have planted over 3 million trees.
