5 Small Tables With Even Smaller Carbon Footprints
KFI Studios, Tumble
This international selection of eco-friendly tables from Andreu World, Loope, Knoll, KFI Studios, and Haworth represent the vision of designers from Poland, Denmark, Spain, Finland, as well as the United States. These products offer smaller proportions for office lobbies, cafes, hotel lounges, and other intimate commercial spaces, while also introducing sustainable features such as FSC-certified wood, biodegradable components, and recycled and recyclable content, bringing a truly circular design to the table.
Andreu World, Garzetta
Andreu World
Isn’t it fun to mix and match? The folks at Andreu World think so. Thanks to its exclusive universal joining system, the Garzetta collection of tables can integrate various base heights, tabletop shapes, and finishes to create a side table, central table, or functional surface for offices, waiting rooms, and collaborative spaces. It’s made of 100% recyclable aluminum, 100% FSC-certified wood, and components that are easily separated and recyclable at the end of the table's useful life. Stockholm-based design studio Afteroom, which was founded by Taiwanese designers Chen-Yen Wei and Hung-Ming Chen, created Garzetta for indoor use.
Loope, FaT
Loope
The FaT table collection by industrial designer and the brand creative director Tomek Rygalik is made in Poland from 100% pre-consumer recycled material, using Loope’s proprietary “rotocycling” process. And this eco-conscious company really lives up to its name with its circular economy business model: Loope also recycles its furniture into another product at the end of its useful life. FaT features large pillars topped with durable black HPL table tops in coffee, café, and bar table heights.
Knoll, Saarinen Pedestal Table
Knoll
It’s always challenging when manufacturers decide to revisit a classic. But Knoll has done it again with great success. Bringing a fresh perspective to one of its most renowned and bestselling designs by Eero Saarinen, Knoll has introduced three new finishes for the Saarinen Pedestal Collection: Topo Noir Veneer, a highly figured grain pattern made of reconstituted wood remnants; Emperador Light Marble, a marble with light brown lacy veining; and Modern Clay, a soft-to-the-touch laminate. Originally designed in 1957, this line of side, dining, coffee, and lounge tables reflects Saarinen’s purist approach to architecture and design.
KFI, Tumble
KFI Studios
The idea of upcycling discarded clothing inspired the sculptural Tumble table collection, designed by Pennsylvania-based design studio Union for KFI Studios. Its round top, crafted from shredded and compressed recycled textiles, diverts waste from landfills, while the wood base, featuring a distinctive circular cutout, takes inspiration from the universal tumble-dry laundry symbol. Tumble is available as a side table and coffee table.
Haworth, Adler
Haworth
What do you get when you cross a Danish green-tech design brand with a Spanish architect? The result is Alder, designed by Mater and Patricia Urquiola. This collection of a side table, two lounge tables (in oval and square shapes), and a stool is made entirely from biodegradable components and a 94% recycled steel frame. Mater created a process to convert waste into a moldable raw material called Matek, and the biodegradable version comprises all-natural materials: Certified biodegradable plastic made from sugarcane is mixed with either coffee shell or wood waste, which can eventually decompose back into nature. Available in the U.S. exclusively through Haworth, Adler comes in four colors inspired by natural rock formations.
—Rita Catinella Orrell