Students are a passionate lot. They’re idealistic too. So it can be a valuable and edifying exercise to include them in your decision-making process as you choose your residence hall furniture. That’s exciting to me. Why? Because at DCI, we’re also passionate and idealistic. We believe it’s possible to craft world-class furniture that’s completely sustainable at the same time. And these days, more schools are using their purchasing power to set an …
Video: Making Sustainable Hardwood Furniture in the White Mountains
We’re lucky. Want to know why? Because we get to make sustainable hardwood furniture in one of the most beautiful regions on earth: the White Mountains of New Hampshire and the Green Mountains of Vermont. The DCI factory is located in Lisbon New Hampshire, and our sawmill is less than an hour down the road in South Royalton, Vermont. This is the place where I grew up. I was raised in the house …
The Benefits of Buying Locally Crafted Residence Hall Furniture
Buying local can be hard. In a globalized economy, much of what we buy is made with imported raw materials. And still more of it is manufactured abroad by American companies. Even though quality often suffers, the price is usually lower. And that globalizing trend isn’t going to stop anytime soon. But from a sustainability perspective, and in terms of thriving local economies, the benefits of local sourcing support American businesses more …
PSU: Installing Sustainably Harvested & Manufactured Wood Furniture
Almost ten years ago, we partnered with Plymouth State University (PSU) to furnish their state-of-the-art ecologically sensitive residence hall, Langdon Woods. We continue to work with PSU on new projects to this day. Building Awareness And Empowering Choices One reason we take sustainability so seriously is because we want to inspire green values in the next generation. It’s important that students understand their school is investing in the future of the planet. More specifically, students …
Case Study: University of California Irvine
Summary: In response to limited space and surging enrollment, DCI and UC Irvine created an innovative and environmentally friendly way to increase occupancy in a new state of the art residence hall, UC Irvine Mesa Court, while designing a feature-rich envrironment for laptop-driven learning. Case Study UC Irvine: One Of The Greenest Universities in America Name: UC Irvine Mesa Court Expansion Location: Irvine, CA Size: 935 sets Building Type: Multi-use Residence Hall Project Team: UCI, Hensel Phelps, Mithūn, …
Case Study: UC Santa Barbara
Summary: Creative collaboration and a passion for sustainable furniture solutions were the hallmarks of our partnership with UCSB San Joaquin Apartments. Together, we crafted a solution that featured modern design, solid hardwood, and local manufacturing. Name: UCSB San Joaquin Apartments Location: Santa Barbara, CA Size: 57 Apartments, 322 Bedroom Spaces Building Type: Multi-use Residence Hall Project Team: UCSB, DCI Product List: Bed, 3-drawer chest, Desk, Pedestal, Wardrobe, Dining Table, Coffee Table, TV Stand UC Santa Barbara UC Santa …
Furniture Leasing Companies: Should You Buy or Lease?
A lot of colleges and universities buy their residence hall furniture outright. But that’s not necessarily the right choice for everyone. For some schools, working with furniture leasing companies to lease their furniture is the better route. Of course there are pros and cons for both buying and leasing, but let’s take a little time to explore the benefits of leasing your residence hall furniture. Based on this information, you can …
Infographic: How To Prevent Climate Change With DCI Furniture
To set up an order today or to talk with one of our representatives, you can write to us here or call: (800) 552-8286. You can also learn more about our industry-leading FSC CoC certification, our MAS certification, and our green materials sourcing, sustainable manufacturing, and our unique zero waste Vertical Integration Process (VIP). Download the DCI Sustainability overview here.
What Is Mission Style Furniture & Why Is It Great For Residence Halls?
What is mission style furniture? Simple, durable, and functional, mission style furniture emerged in the late 19th century and enjoyed a surge in popularity from about 1900-1915. It came back into vogue in the 1980’s and remains popular today thanks to its sturdy elegance. Mission style furniture was pioneered by the architect, publisher, and furniture maker Gustav Stickley. His inspiration came from the furniture he observed in turn of the century California Franciscan …
How To Customize Your Contemporary Furniture Design
Contemporary furniture design is chimeric. It takes on new forms over time, evolving as trends and preferences change. As a result, it’s tricky to define. In this fourth installment in our series on residence hall furniture design, we pick up where our last article on contemporary design left off. Contemporary Furniture Design In that article, we explored the essence of what defines contemporary furniture design today. Still heavily influenced by the elegant minimalism …