Natural furniture proudly crafted in the UK

Katrin

Interview with Joshua McGrath, founder of unique natural furniture brand Ōragi. Every piece of furniture is hand crafted and made with passion. The selection of materials and manufacturing decisions are informed by a consideration of ours and the planet’s wellbeing. 

Hi Joshua, thank you for being here with Being magazine.

First of all, I would like you to introduce your brand Ōragi.

Joshua

Ōragi is a wellness-focused and natural furniture company with the aim to create a change in the industry and move away from the use of toxic materials, promoting a circular approach and the use of natural materials.

Inspired by Japanese design principles, we create furniture to bring tranquility and balance to interior spaces. The selection of materials and manufacturing decisions are informed by a consideration of the planet and our wellbeing.

Katrin

How was Ōragi born? 

Joshua

I suffer from asthma and have many other allergies. Whilst looking to furnish the first home I was looking for stylish, low off-gassing natural furniture. I was shocked to find the limited options available and saw a need in the market. Throughout the Covid pandemic, I began researching natural and sustainable material alternatives for furniture. This led to over a year of research and development and sourcing before finally Ōragi was launched early this year March 2022. 

Ōragi uses bamboo boards in our furniture as opposed to softwood or plywood.  

Katrin

Do you have any interesting, curious facts about your brand?

Joshua

Ōragi uses bamboo boards in our furniture as opposed to softwood or plywood. Bamboo is not wood but grass, which is split around its core and pressed to form boards. Bamboo is lightweight and stronger than most hardwoods. 

Kumo means cloud in Japanese. We named our first sofa collection this, after its soft pillowy cushions. The cushions are filled with a natural mix of latex, coir, and wool.

The Kumo cushions were developed over the course of a year to be ultra-comfortable yet practical. Due to the elastic latex core, our cushions don’t require constant plumping and attention compared to other natural cushions.  

Katrin

Your brand is originally from the UK, right? Do you feel like these days people in the UK choose sustainable, eco-friendly products and natural furniture more often? 

Joshua

Since launching Ōragi I have seen the people in the UK have immense empathy for the climate crisis we are facing and are not only perceptive to the changes we all need to make both big and small but also are activists when they encounter brands like ourselves which are looking to bring considered alternatives.

I have also had an overwhelming amount of support from allergy sufferers who understand the effects poor air quality has on their health and the challenges in finding suitable natural furniture pieces.  

Katrin

How do people and the environment benefit from using high-quality eco furniture?

Low VOC emitting furniture for asthma and allergy sufferers.

Joshua

The benefit to the planet may seem an obvious one in that we use less of its precious materials to produce furniture we use every day, but stretches out to a complete circular approach. Ōragi has considered all stages of the environment from sourcing raw materials to the production of our natural furniture the longevity of our pieces to be used and enjoyed in a home environment for many years and finally the overall disability of the raw materials. It is with this approach we are able to have as little impact as possible. 

Ōragi wants to reduce the amount of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) in new furniture released into our homes. The air quality within our homes, where we spend 90% of our time, is polluted with toxic VOC (volatile organic compounds) from petroleum-based foams which when they degrade release carcinogens into your home, aggravating allergies and affecting mood and causing other hormonal imbalances. Our covers hold the Indoor Advantage Gold standard for home air quality and the finishes we use are low VOC.     

Katrin

Which materials do you use for your products? And why?

Joshua

All the materials we used are considered for their sustainable credentials and are biodegradable/repurposable. Our cushions are made up of layers of latex, coir (coconut husk), and wool/cotton. These are held within a cotton slipcover, meaning no glue is required between the layers. This enables us to dispose of layers independently when the time comes. Our bamboo boards are sourced from an FSC-certified supplier in China who is leading the way in producing these strong yet lightweight bamboo boards which require no fertilizer or pesticides and can be harvested within 3-5 years of growth with little impact on the soil due to shallow root structures. 

Katrin

I am curious to know more about the manufacturing process too. I read about your company, and you mentioned that every piece of furniture is hand crafted, right?   

Joshua

Ōragi is proudly a UK brand. We design and handcraft all our pieces in our workshop in Staffordshire. We take immense care and use traditional woodworking techniques to create furniture which will last for years to come.  

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Katrin

A lot of people face the problem. What to do with the old furniture, what furniture recycling looks like, and who I can call to get help. Can you advise people who want to do it the right way?

Joshua

If you buy a sofa like Kumo this won’t be an issue at all. We have considered how each material can either be repurposed or recycled responsibly at end of life. For traditional furniture pieces if the piece is still functional I would consider donating it to a charity, selling it online or at a boot sale, or upcycling it into a new piece to be treasured.  Failing this I would recommend finding a local waste management service that specializes in furniture disposal. They will be able to advise on the best method of disposal.  

Katrin

 I believe together we can change the world for the better. Do you?:) What is your personal view on the future of our planet? 

Joshua

We find ourselves now at a crossroads as a society there is a necessity to reverse the damage we have inflicted on the planet and move forward into a more harmonious partnership whereby we both benefit. The future is unbelievably bright.