Making things right
Sustainable design and manufacturing at Auster
Slow down
We believe sustainability is slowing down the rate of consumption by designing and building things that have the beauty and durability to stay in our customers lives for a long time.
To safeguard our beautiful planet for future generations, we must adopt a philosophy of doing more with less, harmonizing with nature, and choosing materials that are not only sustainable but also enduring in their beauty.
Bamboo
From Plant to Plank
At auster we have developed Moso-tek, an ultra high performance treated bamboo material.Moso-tek provides the durability and beauty of solid hardwood without the ecological impact of harvesting trees.
We begin with moso bamboo, one of the planet's largest and fastest-growing bamboo species. In a mere five years, moso bamboo reaches maturity, a stark contrast to traditional hardwoods that can take decades to achieve the same feat.
What sets bamboo apart is the responsible approach to its cultivation. We only harvest the shoots, leaving its root structure intact, thereby safeguarding the forest ecosystem for the future. Bamboo doesn’t just provide the raw materials for Moso-tek, it also excels as a carbon sink, and releases 35% more oxygen than trees.
Each bamboo culm is meticulously hand-cut by local farmers, ensuring quality and sustainability. This conscientious material selection process preserves native bamboo forests, allowing the root system to thrive and produce new shoots the following year.
Unlike the timber lumber industry, we refrain from employing the destructive clear-cutting method. Moso bamboo, capable of growing up to an astonishing thirty-six inches in a single day, swiftly regenerates itself after being harvested.
The transformation of bamboo into furniture begins with the conversion of raw bamboo material into solid Moso-tek planks.
Through a process involving pressure, steam, and heat, bamboo stalks are turned into a workable material that is harder and more durable than red oak. The heating process lets us control color through caramelization of sugars in the raw bamboo.
We carefully select and arrange dried bamboo strips to achieve the desired grain and end conditions in the final product.
These strips are then layered and treated using our proprietary processes to attain the specific material properties, including color, grain, strength, and durability, that we wish to see in the finished piece. Each Moso-tek plank is designed from the grain up to be perfectly suited to the component it will become.
Craftsmanship
From Plank to Table
To craft sustainable furniture you must start with the principles of both aesthetic beauty and enduring strength.
This symbiosis ensures that a piece of furniture will have a long life with its owner rather than contributing to the ceaseless churn of consumption that defines so much of our material world.
The durability of Auster furniture begins with the choice of materials, specifically solid compressed moso-tek bamboo.
Harder than red oak, this bamboo has been processed for strength, durability and beauty. Each piece is cut and milled to fit perfectly into the furniture it was designed for.
In stark contrast to MDF or softwood furnishings, our pieces feature precise dovetail cuts and metal-to-metal hardware connections, ensuring the lifespan of the piece through moves across the room or across town.
The care we take in our work is shown in the "finished backs" of every piece.
Whether front, back or inside, proudly displayed or hidden from view, we finish every inch of the piece to the same exacting standard.
The result of all this effort — working from from raw material to finished piece, is furniture that can live with you for a lifetime, not just for a season. From first rental to “forever home” The calm that Auster brings stays with you as your lifestyle and circumstances evolve.
Welcome To Calm
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Welcome To Calm
Shop the collections
Eat
Live
Sleep