How French Bedroom Embraces Sustainability

French Bedroom is a responsible company that places sustainability at the core of our values. We wanted to make clear our position on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues, so we have set them out here. We are proud our customers have coined the phrase ‘Antiques of the Future’ to describe our products. Antiques by their nature stand the test of time by being both high quality and sustainable; being sustainable is the only way to guarantee our future. With thoughtful designs made in small batches by skilled artisans, we take our environmental responsibility seriously and strive to help our customers do the same. If you have any questions on our position, please get in touch.

Slow Furniture We deliberately create durable furniture, placing quality over speed or trends. French furniture is both timeless and future-proof, providing a home with character that can be passed through generations. We make sustainable choices, aiming to preserve the authentic antique look without applying too much pressure on our world’s precious limited natural resources. We take care that the wood our furniture is crafted from, typically mahogany or oak, is always sourced from forests that are part of regeneration programmes. We also use reclaimed wood on some of our furniture collections.

Commitment to remaining sustainable

In January 2022, we made the reluctant decision to increase our prices in order to continue providing furniture of exceptional quality. We often find ourselves swimming against the rising tide of the mass-produced furniture industry, and 2020-2022 has been no exception. Over these two years, every process and every stage of producing furniture has seen exponential increases in costs of raw materials, labour, and shipping. We could reduce our costs by choosing lower quality fabrics or non-sustainable timber, using lower grade packaging, or even by paying the tradesmen less. This, however, isn’t something we are prepared to do. It’s not fair on our finite planet, nor our customers, artisans, and farmers. We’re committed to providing sustainable furniture that is of exceptional quality and we are transparent on our refusal to cut corners.

Supporting our Artisans We know the hard work and dedication that goes into every piece of furniture we sell, and the artisans who lovingly produce them deserve a fair wage, which is why we don’t believe in sales. Our carvers are amongst the most skilled in the field, utilising specialist techniques that originate from France and Italy, replicated from original methods and handed down from generations of craftsmen. These skills are mastered over time; demand patience, and dedication, and deserve to be rewarded as such. Our artisans are at the core of our business – without them, we wouldn’t have the delightful furniture we’re famed for.

Our seven-stage finishing process included hand sanding, filling, sealing, painting, distressing, antique ageing and finally sealing. Our hand-crafted items include specialist finishes, antique patinas, crackle glaze – all techniques that are produced by a generation of carvers, gilders, and metalworkers who create stunning hand-carved legacy pieces. Their skills are admirable, and we will never jeopardise our relationships with our artisans by attempting to shortcut these techniques or paying less than they deserve.

Well thought partnerships

The company we keep is just as important as our own values, which is why we’re passionate about ensuring the suppliers we work with share our ethos around sustainable practices.

Vispring are a brand we are delighted to have worked with for many years. Their passion for sustainability and the planet is aligned with ours, which makes their mattresses the perfect partner for our lovely bed frames. Vispring mattresses are full of generous quantities of natural quality materials – no plastic, polyester, foam, or other man-made products or chemicals are used in the manufacturing process. The base of each mattress is usually four fleeces of wool and cotton, both of which are sustainable and degradable. The coils are made from Vanadium Steel, a material which is both recyclable and re-usable once the mattress has reached the 30-year end of use.

Other suppliers, such as those we purchase our Charka Cushion and Shri Rug from, re-use excess materials to ensure nothing is wasted (e.g. cotton and denim from the jeans industry). We work with small family run Italian mills to create our luxury bedding as they use only responsibly sourced cotton, and all our suppliers are aligned with our mission to use only the most sustainable protective packaging during transport.

Our Future, Your Future, Their Future

As humans we all need a safe, calming and comfortable space to retire to each evening. It is our commitment to provide one with the potential to be passed down to the next generation; to prevent each French Bedroom customer from consuming more than needed within their lifetime.

Our 10 pledges are signed by each employee and measured on a monthly and annual basis
with awards and recognition for the products, people or processes making the biggest positive impact.

We pledge to continuously strive to source and sell natural materials, even if this means the price we have to pay the manufacturer is a little more. We pledge to only use wood from sustainable or managed forests. We pledge, to prioritise partnerships with small-scale, family managed or owner-run manufacturers, who can manage the end-to-end chain of their product provenance and raw materials. We pledge to pay our artisans a fair wage, so they are honestly rewarded for their talent. We pledge to work with women’s cooperatives where possible, and to champion their work and crafts(woman)ship. We pledge to use entirely recyclable or recycled packaging by 2025. We pledge to curate a company culture who embrace change and care more, turning ideas into actions that make us a more sustainable business with each year that passes, influencing our customers to do the same. We pledge that any new design will be more sustainable than the last, continuously learning from the design process. We pledge to never waste the furniture we make, ensuring Not Quite Perfect furniture finds a loving home via our Outlet. We pledge to challenge the life expectancy of the products our industry sell through our long-term commitment to our passion: timeless style. Reducing waste by designing products that become more beautiful with age and never compromise on quality.

Lasting A Lifetime and Then Some.