Is cutting down trees bad for the environment? And can the silvicultural selective cutting method help? As a manufacturer of solid hardwood furniture for residence halls, we get this question a lot. And it’s an important one because there’s some legitimate confusion around it. First, whenever we think about cutting trees for any sort of manufacturing process, we immediately think of the worst case scenarios. We imagine the slash and burn …
Case Study: Whittier College
Summary: DCI and Whittier worked together to generate and design a completely new bedroom set and created a 5-year plan to refurbish their entire campus and fully upgrade their design standard. In the process, we recycled of huge amount of furniture from the Whittier College dorms. Project Name: Whittier College Dorms Location: Whittier, CA Size: 450 Sets Building Type: Multi-use Residence Hall Project Team: Whittier College, DCI Product List: Custom Bed with 6-drawer Underbed Storage, Desk, Mobile Pedestal …
What Is Contemporary Furniture Design?
What is contemporary furniture design and how does it relate to its predecessor, modern design? At DCI, we build many styles of furniture, and contemporary is a popular one. But what actually defines contemporary furniture design? These are the questions we explore in this third part of our series on residence hall furniture design. A lot of folks use the words contemporary and modern interchangeably when referring to furniture design, but that’s …
Why Modern Design Is Perfect For Residence Halls
Furniture design is a big inspiration for our work here at DCI. In this second part in our series on furniture design, we hone in on how the principles of modern design shape some of our collections here at DCI. By the way, if you haven’t read the lead article in this series, I recommend you quickly catch up here. Part one features a brief history of modern furniture design. You can find a lot of modern design …
The Evolution of Modern Furniture Design
I love good design. Especially modern furniture design. For me, it’s one of the most interesting and compelling parts of building residence hall furniture. Design inspiration is so central to our creative process here at DCI that we want to share a series of articles exploring the various styles and influences that inform our furniture. Our furniture is built to last generations, so we are naturally drawn to the timeless elements of classic design. …
Case Study: Plymouth State University
Langdon Woods Residence Hall – The First LEED Gold Dorm in NH Summary: To compliment PSU’s state of the art sustainable Langdon Woods residence hall, DCI developed a locally-manufactured green residence hall furniture solution which featured FSC-certified solid hardwood and became the design standard across campus. Name: Plymouth State University’s Langdon Woods Residence Hall Location: Plymouth, NH Size: Approximately 500 sets of furniture Building Type: Multi-use Residence Hall Project Team: Plymouth State & DCI Product List: Beds, Chests, Desks, Wardrobes, Dining tables, & Chairs. Backstory …
2016 Hottest Year on Record. Here’s What You Can Do.
Earlier this month, scientists shared some disturbing reports about global warming. NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) published separate data confirming that 2016 was the hottest year on record.* It would be one thing if this single blazing hot year was a one-off anomaly. But it’s not. In fact 2016 was the third in a string of hottest years on record. 2016 Hottest Year We earthlings started recording …
4 Criteria For Selecting Your Residence Hall Furniture Supplier
What are the main things you need to think about when you’re buying sustainable residence hall furniture and choosing your supplier? It’s easy to get overwhelmed with all the options. We’ve supplied solid hardwood furniture to college residence halls for over 40 years. And we’ve also observed that some things stand out when you’re choosing your residence hall furniture supplier. Based on our experience, in addition to cost and service, here are …
How To Source Sustainable Furniture Materials For Residence Hall Furniture
At DCI, we strive to use sustainable furniture materials. We believe that making world-class furniture that lasts for decades doesn’t give us the right to pollute the planet. On the contrary, like humans have done since the dawn of civilization, we make furniture from solid hardwood. And we leave as light a footprint as possible. Through our sustainable vertical integration process, we ensure that our wood is sustainably harvested and nothing …
Zero Waste Furniture Company: Crafting Climate Friendly Furniture
Is it possible to build climate friendly furniture without creating any waste? It sounds like an environmentalist’s pipe dream, right? Nope. We are a zero waste furniture company. Really, it’s no fantasy. It’s possible to make furniture that’s completely sustainable and waste-free. In fact, it also makes profound economic sense from a business perspective. But first, why should you care? As you may know, the furniture industry has never been on great terms with the environment. It’s …