The path to founding a design-led furniture brand like Garofano was paved not in a studio, but in the dense forests of Southeast Asia and the technical spreadsheets of international climate finance. My career has required me to spend years evaluating the structural and biological viability of reforestation projects. When you spend decades looking at trees through the lens of a Carbon Market Architect, you stop seeing timber as a commodity and start seeing it as a store of time, carbon, and integrity.
The Forensic Eye for Forestry
In the world of carbon credits, not all forests are created equal. To ensure a project provides actual climate impact, one must evaluate the species’ growth rates, soil health, and the permanence of the carbon sequestered. This rigorous training in forestry valuation gave me a unique vantage point when sourcing materials for Garofano.
While many designers select wood based on surface aesthetics, my experience in the field taught me to look at the “forensic” quality of the timber. I look for wood that has been harvested at the peak of its maturity—where the carbon density is highest and the grain is most stable. My background allows me to bypass the “greenwashing” of the timber trade; I understand exactly how a tree was managed, how it was felled, and whether the harvesting process respected the regenerative capacity of the ecosystem.
Applying Financial Rigor to Artisanal Sourcing
In my work at the World Bank and NoviCarbon, the success of a mandate depends on Transaction Integrity. This means that every link in the chain must be verifiable and ethical. I have applied this exact same methodology to Garofano’s supply chain.
When I evaluate a supplier for our collections, I am not just looking for a vendor; I am performing a “due diligence” check similar to what I would conduct for a high-value carbon project. Does the timber come from a secondary forest that supports biodiversity? Is the milling process waste-efficient? By applying this high-level policy and finance rigor to furniture design, we ensure that the “slow furniture” ethos is backed by demonstrable proof. We are not just making claims about sustainability; we are engineering it into the very fiber of the wood.
The Permanence of the Object
Reforestation taught me that nature operates on a timeline of decades and centuries. The “fast furniture” market, with its three-year replacement cycles, is a direct insult to the time it takes for a tree to grow. My mission is to ensure that if a tree is harvested, the resulting object must endure for at least as long as it took that tree to reach maturity.
Garofano is the physical manifestation of this lifecycle philosophy. By connecting the lessons of global climate finance with the art of woodworking, we are creating pieces that serve as a permanent archive of high-integrity materials.
Experience the intersection of forestry expertise and fine design. Explore the Garofano Collections to see how we source for permanence, or Contact Our Team to learn more about our sustainable sourcing standards.
