Iola Design: Bamboo Cabinets and Shelves
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA 
on 02. 6.06
It's been some time since we've had a post extolling bamboo for its equally sexy and ecologically-sound properties, but we certainly haven't forgotten about how much we like it. Take the work of Iola Design, for example. We know they've got design chops, as seen in Dwell Magazine, and they make their innovative display shelving and cabinets from bamboo; need we say more? The picture above is a custom job (they offer a free conceptual design and estimate), though they have several standard wall mounts and free-standing cabinets for sale from the website as well (more pics below the fold). They offers a range of hues and colors from "natural" light to a more "coffee-colored" dark which they achieve through a carbonization process that colors the planks all the way through, so scratches in the finish are less evident.
All of their bamboo comes exclusively from an ISO 9001-certified manufacturing partner, meaning that the quality has been checked and double-checked and is extremely high. The bamboo poles themselves are selected and harvested from bamboo forests monitored by the Chinese Department of Forestry. This ensures the bamboo forests are able to self-regenerate for future harvesting (a process we know takes only years, rather than decades, as with trees). Iola Design also donates a minimum of 1% of all after costs profit to US Doctors for Africa, whose efforts directly help those who are suffering most from the African AIDS crisis by providing the medical care, supplies, and programs necessary to help the African people to more effectively fight the pandemic. ::Iola Design.
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This line is gorgeous...definitley check ou the website!
pass it on
Another thing that is great about bamboo when used for cabinets and shelving is that it is solid wood. Most of the cabinets you see today are veneer or even laminate and toxic glues are used in the production. These glues continue to emit gasses into your home which can be harmful to your health.
Those are beautiful designs above - they remind me of the 1960's modern era design - great for that retro look!