Achieving true sustainability requires various “re-s.” Manufacturers must re-think their objectives; designers must re-envision their end product; and consumers must re-evaluate their choices. This chain of responsible decision-making is nicely encapsulated in the name of Ottawa-based manufacturer ReOrient. The company specializes in turning aged, second-hand teak wood into lovely furnishings and stunning bath fittings—as seen in the 4Bath Bathroom Concept.

T-Boon Vanity and Mirrors. Designed and Manufactured by ReOrient.

ReOrient’s 4Bath Collection Features Vivacious Vanities and Fabulous Fixtures From Reclaimed materials

4Bath is comprised of modular floating elements and washbasins from two distinct ReOrient collections, T-Boon and YK. T-Boon offers the opportunity for a do-it-yourself vanity assembly—the collection consists of open racks, single cabinets with right and left side hinged doors, and cabinets with single or double drawers. YK, for its part, is a roster of basic open vanity stands, tiered racks, freestanding shelves, and mirrors.

The heart of both collections is at the very the soul of ReOrient—the beautifully sculpted teak wood that ReOrient’s artisans and craftspeople salvage from the virtual scrap heaps of worn bridges, decrepit railroad infrastructure, and construction waste. Workers in Indonesia revive these materials through an intensive process involving removing fasteners, honing away rot, and generally rehabilitating the wood into the foundational elements of T-Boon and YK.

The business model is successful largely through the efforts of the Forest Stewardship Council and Smartwood, an oversight organization that guarantees all of ReOrient’s teak is from 100% recycled sources, reclaimed in Indonesia using sustainable techniques and under humane working conditions.

According to ReOrient co-founders Michelle Oser and Ian Small, the choice to specialize in the native Indonesian wood was intuitive: “Reclaimed teak wood came naturally to our mind, as it preserves forests (which has all sorts of positive implications), provides jobs to local artisans and has both a history and a permanence about it.”

It’s also an excellent choice for bathrooms, as the wood’s high oil content renders it virtually rot-proof, long-lasting, and splinter-free: “These properties, combined with a wonderfully intense color, make this wood perfect for the production of bathroom furniture.”

As the photos here demonstrate, both T-Boon and YK make wonderful bedfellows with ReOrient’s complimentary collection of marble washbasins. Check out the manufacturer’s 4Bath catalog for further details.

About the Manufacturer: ReOrient makes a habitual practice of re-visiting that far East terrain in order to procure the raw goods of their wonderful reclaimed teak furniture and bathroom elements. Helmed by Michelle Oser and Ian Small, ReOrient routinely collaborates with dBohdi, “a company that makes furniture out of teak from old homes, bridges and railways… it’s wood that would otherwise end up being burned or dumped into landfill.” In an ongoing effort to be ecologically-sensitive as well as humanistic, ReOrient is a member of the 1% For the Planet Alliance, a group of companies dedicated to donating 1% of annual sales to environmentally-based not-for-profit organizations around the world.