Motherhood Moment had the opportunity to speak to Two Giraffes™ founder Elina Ishchenko about the significance of shopping sustainably when it comes to children's furniture.
Two Giraffes carries a collection of sustainable Montessori-inspired house bed frames crafted in a family-run factory in beautiful countryside in western Ukraine, ensuring responsible Earth- and people-friendly manufacturing. The company respects the environment and sources solid wood from sustainably managed forests that do not contribute to deforestation. In speaking to Motherhood Moment, Elina provided tips on what parents should look for in quality children's furniture.
Why was Two Giraffes™ started?
The idea for Two Giraffes started 3 years ago when our 2 years old daughter was about to transition from co-sleeping to a regular bed. That was a challenging milestone for all of us. We were searching for a bed that would make the change as smooth as possible and was a hundred percent safe and non-toxic. At that moment, we realized that eco-friendly furniture doesn’t really come with an affordable price tag as well as a few playfully designed items were available on the market. So we got inspired to design and manufacture kids’ furniture that would excite kids’ imagination and contribute to a healthier, more sustainable home at a fair price.
How does Two Giraffes™ show that a family-owned business can still be pretty globally linked?
We’re living in beautiful times when your team members could be spread around the globe and still be connected every single day to deliver consistent results. For instance, we’re a Ukrainian family living in Canada and running all the operations from Toronto. Our factory is a family-owned company located in western Ukraine and the generations of that family have been working with wood since 1944. They also supply one of the biggest home goods retailers in the world. Our warehouse and fulfillment center is in Florida, US. All our products stock is safely in there. The team members such as designers, engineers, copywriters are living and working from different countries and even semispheres. Isn’t it great? We do obviously benefit from this diversity and a multi-cultural environment.
What should families look for in quality children's furniture?
There are so many things for parents to worry about while shopping for furniture for the little ones. Here, at Two Giraffes, we believe sustainability should be one of the top criteria for families nowadays, making sure our shopping choices help to reduce the environmental impact and preserve a beautiful Earth for our children.
There are particular factors that make furniture sustainable, including the resources used to build it, the production process, the design, the packaging, and even the logistic solution.
The very first thing we recommend is opting for solid wood products, which ideally do not have any fiberboard parts. Despite being a recycling material, MDF often contains VOC, having urea-formaldehyde, which can cause irritation to the eyes and lungs. On top of that, dust produced during the production process is significantly harmful to the breathing of those who work at the factory.
The wood should be sourced from a socially responsible and Forest Stewardship Council’s (FSC®)-certified facility with strict replanting policies. FSC® is the gold standard in the wood sourcing industry, taking care of forests, their people, animals while respecting native culture and economies.
For our products, we appreciate the finger joint wood for its strength, perfect alignment, and stability (the chances of warping and twisting are almost zero). This solution allows low-waste, responsible manufacturing (i.e. less wood gets wasted during production).
Also, sustainable furniture typically avoids the use of toxic chemicals and rather prefers water-based, nontoxic paints and varnish, which are child-safe.
Speaking of product design, we’d recommend choosing those styles that are multifunctional to promote responsible consumption and declutter the home. Thus, all our bed frames serve double duty: each model doubles as a cool playhouse unit.
Opt for a twin-size bed frame, meaning your child will fit in it for many years ahead, while toddler-sized beds are used for a couple of years only.
The furniture that is defined as sustainable should also allow the reuse by younger kids without sacrificing style or safety: think timeless and gender-neutral designs combined with high quality and durability.
We can talk forever about the journey to sustainable and ethical manufacturing. Our biggest aspiration and company's mission is to inspire more families to shop sustainably, choosing the furniture that's kinder to the planet and kinder to our kids.
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About Two Giraffes:
Two Giraffes™ is a kids' furniture brand focusing on playful designs and sustainable production. We’re a family business, owned and run by a woman and a mom of three.
Ukrainian -owned, and -manufactured, safely stocked in Florida:
We’re Ukrainians, living in Toronto. All our furniture is produced in a family-owned factory in the western Ukrainian countryside with over 50 years of experience producing wooden furniture.
All the stock is available and being shipped from our warehouse in South Florida. We’ve rigorously tested all the materials at UL.com to verify compliance with all the industry voluntarily and regulatory standards.
Sustainably sourced and responsibly crafted:
All Two Giraffes™ furniture is made with sustainably harvested solid wood (no fiberboards or MDF) and finished with child-safe, water-based paints so the parents can rest assured their product is safe and contributes to a healthier home. By shopping sustainably, you're helping to preserve a beautiful planet for our future generations.
Turn your kids' room into their wonderland with us:
Visit our store - hellogiraffes.com,
Shop at amazon.com/twogiraffes
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