Yorkshire interior design company, The Secret Drawer is working hard to preserve the environment with a number of eco-friendly initiatives.
In the Skipton workshop at the heart of the cabinetmaking activity on which the company was originally founded, not a scrap of wood goes to waste, with customers’ old kitchens, waste wood and cardboard all used to fuel a huge wood burning stove which heats the spacious workshop.
Working from seasoned timber to produce fine furniture, the cabinetmaking and finishing team benefit from a clean working environment thanks to an innovative extraction system used to collect all the waste products from their work. Shavings and dust are extracted, collected and stored for use by a local farmer for livestock bedding.
The timber comes from another eco-conscious Yorkshire company, John Boddy, who are committed to supplying timber and wood products sourced from forest areas certified under environmental schemes.
For 2011 The Secret Drawer is also planning to help to replace the timber used to create new furniture by offering customers the opportunity to have a celebratory tree planted in their garden on completion of any new project.
In Ilkley, the interior design side of the The Secret Drawer business continues the eco theme. Offering the full range of Farrow & Ball paints and wallcoverings, the company assures customers that all the paint finishes used in their homes are eco friendly.
Oil based paint finishes have been replaced with a new eco friendly formulation specially created to deliver the same performance and appearance. The new paint range is better for both customers homes and the eco-system, combining the environmental qualities of a water-based system with the performance benefits of the traditional oil-based products. With reduced drying and recoat time and no odour or toxins, these new eco friendly paint finishes offer a ‘green’ alternative whilst still creating the distinctive Farrow & Ball look.
Richard Mason, the award-winning cabinetmaker who founded The Secret Drawer explains, “Most people have heard about our signature speciality, the unique secret drawer built into each piece of bespoke furniture known only by the specific cabinetmaker who made it, but not everyone realises that we champion the environment in everything we do here. It’s part of our ethos to protect and preserve, creating furniture and rooms which are designed and crafted by hand to last for future generations – and that’s one secret we’re happy to share.”