Home Help: 17 May
Today, we are all conscious that the world’s hardwood forests are being cut down at an alarming rate. Although the teak and oak we buy often comes from sustainable sources, this may not always be the case. Sadly, illegal logging takes place and even when trees are replanted they grow slowly.
We need to look at other woods that are abundant and quick to multiply. Bamboo, of which The Bamboo Flooring Company stocks a variety of, is very hardwearing and is now used as an alternative to oak. Prices for solid oak are around £30 per square metre, while solid bamboo costs £20 per sq m.
As for furniture, there is a huge selection of wicker that looks smart, both in the house and outside it – although outdoor items need a synthetic finish to protect them. Wicker is not a material but a manufacturing technique that can describe rattan, rush and willow.
Water hyacinth is a Southeast Asian plant that grows fast in dense clumps across water. Interiors By Vale has showrooms in Lincolnshire and sells beautiful sofas in water hyacinth. Chain stores Argos, Homebase and Marks & Spencer supply finely woven water-hyacinth laundry baskets and trunks that can also be used as coffee tables. A more unusual grass, njodax, is grown in Senegal and is combined with reclaimed plastic by locals to make beautiful baskets that are sold by the Dar Leone company.
Habitat is looking back to the 1970s with its Lyra range of coloured rattan rocking and hanging chairs. Rattan is a close relative of the palm tree and is a very strong wood. 
1. Belton 3-seater sofa, from £1,065, by Interiors By Vale: 0845-872 7626, www.interiorsbyvale.com
2. Lyra hanging chair, £320, by Habitat: 0844-499 1111, www.habitat.co.uk
3. Senegalese hamper, 85cm x 38cm, £80, by Dar Leone at Lali: 020-8964 1177, www.dar-leone.com
4.(Main image) Antique flooring, from £21.54 per square metre, by The Bamboo Flooring Company: 0116-274 1050, www.bambooflooringcompany.com
Email your design enquiries to Hugh St Clair at homehelp@lady.co.uk
We need to look at other woods that are abundant and quick to multiply. Bamboo, of which The Bamboo Flooring Company stocks a variety of, is very hardwearing and is now used as an alternative to oak. Prices for solid oak are around £30 per square metre, while solid bamboo costs £20 per sq m.
As for furniture, there is a huge selection of wicker that looks smart, both in the house and outside it – although outdoor items need a synthetic finish to protect them. Wicker is not a material but a manufacturing technique that can describe rattan, rush and willow.
Water hyacinth is a Southeast Asian plant that grows fast in dense clumps across water. Interiors By Vale has showrooms in Lincolnshire and sells beautiful sofas in water hyacinth. Chain stores Argos, Homebase and Marks & Spencer supply finely woven water-hyacinth laundry baskets and trunks that can also be used as coffee tables. A more unusual grass, njodax, is grown in Senegal and is combined with reclaimed plastic by locals to make beautiful baskets that are sold by the Dar Leone company.
Habitat is looking back to the 1970s with its Lyra range of coloured rattan rocking and hanging chairs. Rattan is a close relative of the palm tree and is a very strong wood.
2. Lyra hanging chair, £320, by Habitat: 0844-499 1111, www.habitat.co.uk
3. Senegalese hamper, 85cm x 38cm, £80, by Dar Leone at Lali: 020-8964 1177, www.dar-leone.com
4.(Main image) Antique flooring, from £21.54 per square metre, by The Bamboo Flooring Company: 0116-274 1050, www.bambooflooringcompany.com
Email your design enquiries to Hugh St Clair at homehelp@lady.co.uk