The process of opening the store was a painstaking process full of dozens of dead ends, poorly formed ideas and LOTS of researching and planning . I knew I wanted all aspects of the store to be eco-friendly, including the furniture and fixtures. One of the biggest obstacles during this process was finding furniture that not only looked beautiful and was functional but also sustainable and produced as little waste as possible. I spent a long time searching the internet looking at the same products on dozens of different websites. By same I mean particle board and plastic, slat wall, grid wall, gondola, all disposable and all manufactured half way across the world.

Enter Matthew, my awesome fiance (boyfriend at the time) to save the day! 

Matt is an architect and an amazing designer. He designed and built all the furniture and fixtures at Vivi without using a single nail! The material we chose is bamboo plywood, which not only looks beautiful but according to Matt is a great material to work with. He used Formby's Tung Oil, to stain the wood, an all natural oil that brings out the natural color of the wood. It is water-resistant and provides a durable protective finish. The furniture requires very little maintenance, just a little lemon oil now and then to clean and shine.

Matt spent many days and night gluing and clamping (with Jasmine the family dog).

We used real black bamboo poles and hemp rope for the clothing racks.

I love the finished product, it's everything the store needed, functional, sustainable, and really beautiful. : )

If you are highly motivated you can take a woodworking class, or would like to get in touch with talented local word workers check out Peter's Valley in Layton New Jersey.

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