Kansas City designers are raising the bar of outdoor living with locally made furniture. Consumer demand for products crafted from local materials is growing because it's better for the environment and economy. Plus, customers can build one-on-one relationships with artisans to get exactly what they want. Westport-based company Edwin Blue created its first collection, Rise, which includes chaises, chairs, ottomans, and side tables.
"We grew up camping and enjoying the outdoors, so it was a natural place to start," says design director Clayton Vogel, who cofounded and co-owns the company with architect Matthew Hufft. The friends, who graduated from the University of Kansas, met in Springfield and worked in New York before forming Edwin Blue in Kansas City.
They plan to launch the line next year at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York City, but the pieces can be ordered and built at their Westport location.
The removable cushions in the Rise line are made by Gearhart Upholstery in Buckner, Mo. The machine-washable covers are lined with swimsuit material and come in dozens of colors, but customers can specify their own fabrics.
Sustainability played a big part in the collection. Sturdy stainless steel frames are built from 45 percent to 65 percent recycled material. Seat backs and tabletops are made of "sinker cypress" - trees that sank to the bottoms of rivers between the late 1800s and 1930 in the logging process. Cold river water protected the wood from sunlight, and years of sediment buildup results in a variety of colors in the wood.
"It meant not having to cut down trees, and these are old-growth trees that you can't find much anymore," Vogel said.
