The Uhuru furniture company states plainly on their website that the idea behind their company was to use reclaimed materials in a striking new way.
I think they have succeeded.
Behold! Uhuru’s Bilge Lounge. (Ooohhhh, Aaahhhh) It’s a chair made from the staves of used Kentucky bourbon barrels and old truck springs (No, really!) I flipped for these chairs the very moment I saw them.
The Bilge Lounge is part of the Küpe line of furniture which repurposes the beautiful, but seldom-until-now reused barrels that are used to age bourbon in Bardstown, Kentucky, the bourbon capital of the world.
The barrels are originally constructed from new white oak and charred on the inside to produce the unique flavor and color of the bourbon. But they’re only used once. Some are then sold and shipped to Scotland to make scotch, the remaining barrels are discarded by the distillery. Some of those barrels end up as planters or as firewood, but many are just thrown away.
So Uhuru is now turning these unique wood pieces into something even more beautiful and lasting. They work to retain the individual characteristics and colors of each barrel and shape it into a new form that is fun, esthetically pleasing and functional.
But that’s not all Uhuru makes. The Slab Dining Table is the definition of unique and gorgeous. It’s made from a one of a kind hardwood slab sitting on a customizable steel or wood base, The wood slabs are locally milled and dried, and come from sustainably harvested trees that are naturally felled by storms, cut down because of disease, or destined for removal by property owners. No two are alike. (Just looking at the tables would have told you this!)
Or how about the Kong Coffee Table, or the St. Pierre Bed, or the Stoolen Oval table, which is made from collected wood scraps and found bicycle rims...the list goes on and on.
They make such a variety of (I can’t say it enough) beautiful and unique furniture, that it makes me want to redecorate.
My husband, sadly, will never agree to such a scheme. But maybe I can find a place for just one of those whiskey barrel chairs... and a slab table... and maybe a bed. What can I say, I have a big heart, and they really do need a good home, you know.
Video from GorgeousNewYork
