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D-Bhodi & Grand Classic: Waste Busters

Eco-friendlydly furniture carries a feel of luxury at D-Bhodi. Who would have thought trash could be used to make furniture and furnishings so stylish? Handcrafters in Indonesia work on discarded wood that come in small pieces and even saw dust. In the Octa collection, wooden fibres are combined with resin to make lamps and occasional pieces.

Explaining the D-Bodhi story, Anita Sam, Director of D-Bodhi Pte Ltd said, “Our furniture pieces are distinguished by the blemishes inherent in their natural beauty – every split and gap, every scar and chink is a pleasure to behold. Using processes certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, we bring old wood back to life by handcrafting them into exquisite, functional and innovative furniture pieces. This way, our customers can have their own forest at home and be an ecological warrior at the same time.”

Named Fissure, Lucy, Trapesium, Lekk and Octa, the five collections together embody the D-Bodhi story of breathing new life into old wood. In the Lucy collection, for example, small pieces of wood are made into mosaic panels that create a high-end look for the range. The Singapore-based company also won the Best Exhibit Award for the Bedroom category at the International Furniture Fair Singapore/ASEAN Furniture Show 2009. D-Bhodi’s products are already distributed in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg and Germany.

Back in Singapore, Sam believes the time has come the country to take the lead in driving awareness of eco-furniture production in the region, in keeping with its status as an international furniture hub. “There comes a point when a society reaches a certain maturity level – and that is when it should make a contribution back to the environment. Singapore is at that threshold and D-Bodhi is poised to lend our expertise and know-how to help the country achieve leadership status in eco-furniture designing and manufacturing, which SPRING Singapore has identified as a high value niche market sector.”

Welcoming D-Bodhi’s presence in Singapore, Ms Kee Ai Nah, Director, Retail, Furniture, Textile and Apparel Division, SPRING Singapore, says, “D-Bodhi’s opening is most timely as we and our industry partners are in the early stages of developing a roadmap to help the industry achieve relevant international ‘green’ certifications for furniture. Having been a successful industry player for the past seven years, D-Bodhi’s experience and know-how as an FSC-certified furniture designer, manufacturer and distributor will be of great value in forwarding our cause.”

Based in Hong Kong with a production facility in Dongguan, China, Grand Classic Ltd introduced the green technology powder coating on MDF five years ago. Not only does this technology save the earth, it saves cost too.

According to the company’s director Nelson Chan, this powder coating is already very popular in Europe. The technology makes the coating process faster and easier, which increases productivity. In terms of price, this technology is “not very expensive”. “It is cheaper than polyester and a little costlier than melamine. But its price will narrow towards melamine once it becomes more popular,” Chan said. In addition, spill over excess coating can be reused so no waste is generated.