June 12, 2009

Knú Introduces New Designs at NeoCon 2009 Chicago World's Trade Fair

West Michigan’s Knú Introduces New Chair, Desk and File Designs at NeoCon 2009



ZEELAND, MI – June 15, 2009 – Knú LLC will introduce additions to its line of eco-friendly contemporary office and residential furnishings during the NeoCon 2009 World Trade Fair in Chicago, June 15 through June 17th. This is the first time that Knú will be showing at NeoCon.

Knú is a subsidiary of Industrial Woodworking Corporation (IWC) headquartered in Zeeland, Michigan. IWC has specialized in doing things right for the office and healthcare industries for the past 14 years, focusing on quick turn around and custom projects.

Capitalizing on his company’s strength in lean, green manufacturing and his own design background, CEO Brad Davis spent several years developing the Knú line. Knú’s stunning lines incorporate graceful curves and unique veneer choices. Davis has dubbed the pieces “inanimate motion in crisp, sustainable form.”

Currently the Knú office line has four desks, a bookcase, lateral file, entertainment center and privacy screen. Each of these highly practical and incredibly strong pieces is available in 6 unique eco-friendly veneer choices: ash, cherry, ebony, maple, walnut or wenge.

In addition, there are several deliciously appealing dining, conference and occasional tables, available with either powder-coated steel or highly-polished aluminum legs. Knú also offers glass and aluminum occasional tables, all designed by Davis.

New designs being unveiled at NeoCon

The Ann Chair, created by Davis for his wife Ann, is a striking example of this year’s additions to the line. Twelve individual cushions attach to veneered, bent plywood that sits atop a gorgeous stainless steel frame.

“I wanted to make certain that every aspect of the chair was unique,” said Davis, “this is an iconic piece that truly really shows our company’s engineering and manufacturing expertise.”

A leather version of the Ann Chair can be seen at Knu’s booth at NeoCon, but the cushion fabric can be varied to meet customer’s specifications. Knú is offering a variety of eco-friendly veneer finishes for the bent wood.

Also being introduced at Neocon is Davis’ newest desk design, intended as an affordable eco-friendly alternative for smaller spaces. Topped with Formica Green-Guard laminate with wood edges finished with beeswax, the desk draws immediate attention to its powder-coated steel wire base. Viewed from any angle the base offers a lesson in geometry, defining an intricate complexity of triangles, trapezoids and parallelograms.

“We have always put a lot of effort into making our pieces as strong as possible while making wise material choices so that we are as environmentally friendly as possible,” said Davis, “but green furniture is often out of range of the average person. What I really wanted to do with this desk was make a piece of sustainable furniture that anyone can afford.”

Knú is also launching a set of mobile lateral files and mobile drawer peds to complement its existing desks. Available in various sizes, and built to last of Baltic birch, these file storage cabinets roll easily even when filled with documents. The files feature full-extension slides for smooth operation and ease of access. Lower-priced painted versions are also available.

Two of Knú’s bestselling desks, Knú Desk #2 – “the cubby desk” and Knú Desk #4 – “the jump desk” – will also be on display during the show.

High res, 300dpi images of some of the Knú products being displayed at NeoCon 2009 are available at www.getknu.com/neocon.

April 9, 2009

PRODUCT NEWS: THE RED BALL ROCKER IS BACK!




Knu is re-introducing the Red Ball Rocker
, originally created by toy designer Gloria Caranica in 1965. The "Rocking Beauty" was introduced by Creative Playthings in Princeton, NJ as the Creative Playthings Hobby Horse.

The legendary Red Ball is now available for purchase on our site at www.getknu.com/RedBallRocker.html, but if you're a retailer who wants them for your showroom please let us know by writing customerservice@getknu.com.

E-tailers, please request images for your website immediately by emailing customerservice@getknu.com. Let your customers know the Reb Ball Rocker is back, and get ready to upload images and product info to your sites.


January 27, 2009

DESIGN NEWS: Knu Desk 2 now available in white!

Our bestselling Knu Desk 2 - what we lovingly refer to as "the cubby" - is now available in white with chocolate brown accents. It's the same great desk, but painted instead of with our usual wood veneers. Even better, the price is only $699.00.

Now available at GetKnu.com.

This desks meets California's stringent new indoor air quality regulations. It's finished with a tough, long-lasting, low-VOC paint and the legs contain approximately 40% recycled steel content and have been powder coated for durability. The handy drawer is made of a tough injection molded recyclable plastic. Manufactured in a carbon neutral facility in Michigan by folks who care about cool modern design.








September 9, 2008

Eden Environments: Grand Rapids' New Sustainable Design Center



Adding to the growing number of Knu retailers, this past week Eden Environments celebrated it's grand opening on 28th Street SE in Grand Rapids. It was catered affair with delicious snacks and a beautiful cake with the EE logo on top!

Eden Environments has a great location in the Dezign One Plaza. The store is easy to find and easy to park. Owner Denise Hopkins is displaying five Knu furniture pieces in her new showroom.

Knu is proud to be a part of Eden Environments line-up of products. We look forward to a long and healthy partnership with Denise!











May 31, 2008

Green Buildings and Green Furniture

The Riverhouse is a new 31 story, 264-unit condominium complex at One Rockefeller Park that beckons new owners with gorgeous views of New York City’s Rockefeller Park and the Hudson River. It has acquired LEED Gold status. Not long ago, Knú was offered the opportunity to furnish a model home office in the new Riverhouse tower. We leaped at the chance to be involved and work in cooperation with Vivavi Sustainable Furniture, a retailer of fine eco-friendly furnishings in Brooklyn.

After all, LEED certified buildings should be filled with sustainably manufactured, eco-friendly furniture.

LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, establishes solid benchmarks for green buildings in terms of water and energy use, materials selection and indoor air quality. We are proud to play a part in this project and recognize that the development and construction of new LEED certified buildings - and the renovation of existing buildings to meet LEED requirements - will have dramatic effects with the potential to significantly reduce the impacts of climate change.

Riverhouse’s large rooftop photovoltaic array, geothermal heating and cooling, responsibly harvested wood products, water saving fixtures, micro wind turbines and storm water runoff captured for use on the green roof gardens are just a few of the features that have qualified it for one of the highest LEED ratings in New York. There are only 3 other existing Gold-rated buildings in the city.

Here in Michigan, there are currently 37 LEED certified buildings and the majority of those are right in our backyard in West Michigan. Nine of these buildings have achieved Gold status and seven are LEED Silver status. The new Grand Rapids Art Museum, shown here, is the world's first LEED Gold-certified museum.

But West Michigan not only leads the way in LEED construction, but also in sustainably manufactured office and home furnishings.

Everyone knows that Grand Rapids is the “furniture city.” Over a century of furniture manufacturing in Grand Rapids and its suburbs has created an abundant wealth of craftsmanship and design skill. But a new vision of the furniture industry is evolving here right now, and many local furniture manufacturers are taking advantage of the available skills to create eco-friendly products that are built to last without using toxic chemicals, without creating indoor air pollution and without destroying forests.

Knú and the growing number of forward thinking furniture manufacturers in West Michigan are leading the way toward a brighter, more sustainable future for the home and office furnishings industry. It only takes a quick Google search for “sustainable furniture” to see the surprising number of companies that are stepping forward to create better living and working environments.

Can your choice of furniture save the planet? Maybe not, but you can significantly reduce your exposure to dangerous chemicals, reduce your impact on forests, and surround yourself with new styles and textures by choosing green furnishings that are built to last. And certainly as we build more LEED-certified buildings, we must wisely choose the products that go into them.

The future is clear, green buildings and green furniture will grow together.

May 30, 2008

UPCOMING EVENT: Knu/IWC CEO speaks at sustainable manufacturing conference

Embracing a Green Future: A Conference for Manufacturers
Date: June 24th and 25th, 2008
Time: 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Location: Grand Valley State University Eberhard Center, Grand Rapids, Michigan

A two-day conference for manufacturers that will teach specific sustainable business practices to achieve triple-bottom-line results.

Knu designer and Industrial Woodworking Corporation CEO, Brad Davis will speak and lead discussions on sustainable product design.

Keynote presentations by:

  • Brian Walker, President/CEO, Herman Miller, Inc.
  • Fred Keller, Chairman and CEO, Cascade Engineering
  • Dan Radomski, Vice President, Industry Services, NextEnergy

    Click here to register or learn more about the conference.

  • May 2, 2008

    UPCOMING EVENT: Knú Exhibiting at the Chicago Green Festival



    Show Hours:
    Saturday 10AM- 8PM
    Sunday 11AM- 6PM

    Venue and Address:
    Navy Pier
    600 E Grand Avenue, Chicago

    Celebrating what works, Green Festival showcases more than 350 diverse local and national green businesses displaying and selling eco-friendly, fair trade and sustainable products. Annie's Mac&Cheese, Dr. Bronner's soap, Utne Reader, NOLS will be there, and lots, lots more.

    Add to that more than 150 visionary speakers will appear for standing-room-only panel discussions, presentations and main stage speaking events. Look for Amy Goodman at noon on Saturday and Winona LaDuke at noon Sunday, to name just a few.

    With more than a dozen speakers covering topics such as permaculture and sustainable architecture, the Green Home Pavilion will be one of the top places to be during the festival. Look for the Knú booth directly in front of the Green Home Pavilion. We'll be the big guys in grey shirts with the funky green Knú logo on them, can't miss us.

    Click here to find the Chicago Green Festival speakers list and schedule.

    Also at the festival, you'll enjoy great how-to workshops, green films, a fair trade pavilion, yoga and movement classes, kids’ zone, delicious organic beer, wine and cuisine, and live music. Look for the Knú guys in the grey shirts at the organic beer tent as well. We won't be selling anything there, just enjoying the day.

    To learn more about the Chicago Green Festival, check out their site at www.greenfestivals.org .