the chrome furniture craze
- SEXY BUT NOT SUSTAINABLE -
BETTER ALTERNATIVES TO CHROME FURNITURE
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Photo credits w/ material listed in footer
I will be the first to admit that I am obsessed with chrome furniture, and I have been for years. I’ve been developing a furniture collection of chrome pieces, and as I started to research the manufacturing process of how chrome is applied to a metal base, it was horrifying to discover that not only was it incredibly bad for the environment, it was even more detrimental to the health of the fabricators and their communities (source 1).
Knowing this, I could not in good conscience create a furniture collection of chrome pieces. Consumption is the nature of renovation and interior design, but to me there’s always a way to approach it with thoughtfulness.
Vintage Paul Mayen Table Base (polished stainless steel)
SHOP VINTAGE
While sourcing for a project, I came across several vintage chrome Paul Mayen table bases that were simply stunning. Some had signs of aging with rust spots forming, and as such these particular pieces were more affordable. So I began to dig into dig into how one can restore a chrome piece. This is when I began to chat with local shops that do chrome repair and plating. What I learned was that there is no way to really repair chrome, but that, depending on the base material of the chrome, you might be able to disguise the chrome’s deterioration. The ideal base material, I was told, is polished steel, and thus the repair would involve polishing and buffing the rusted areas down to the polished steel, and working to blench the two metals. Of course how good the outcome is dependent on the quality of the polished steel beneath the chrome.
So when shopping for vintage chrome furniture, make sure to look into or request the base material from the vendor.
INVEST IN POLISHED STAINLESS STEEL
If you don’t want to buy vintage or just aren’t finding what you want for your space, then seek out contemporary artists or custom fabricators that make polished stainless steel pieces. The benefits of polished stainless steel are:
100% Recyclable - Stainless steel is very easy to fully recycle and thus reduces the mining impact on the planet.
Little Risk to Steel works when working with stainless steel - There is always a risk to welding metal materials together. Proper protection helps to eliminate / reduce risk.
Little Risk to the Community - Reduction of community risk is done through responsible manufacturing processes for both air and water.
Corrosion Resistant - Stainless steel is a mix of alloys including chromium and nickel, both of these alloys plus a higher grade of stainless steel help make it corrosion resistant.
So while there are some caveats to the environmental & human impacts of polished stainless steel manufacturing, the benefits and overall longevity of the piece, as well as it recyclability, outweigh that of polished chrome.
After all of this research, my furniture line will be made of polished stainless steel from an environmentally responsible partner. More to come on that soon!
xoxo
Photo Credits from Lead Image (clockwise from upper left):
(1) Motion Commode No.2 (made of polished stainless steel)
(2) Chrome Armchair (made of chrome)
(3) Vintage Paul Mayen Coffee Table (made of polished stainless steel)
(4) Vintage Paul Mayen Floor Lamps (made of polished stainless steel)
(5) Love Me Tender Chair (made of polished stainless steel)
(6) Balloon Chair (made of chrome)