DWELL: Bamboo in the Bedroom

Credit: Greenington Bamboo

When it comes to Greenington Bamboo’s collection of modern furniture, you’ll soon forget any tired old notions of tacky tiki-style, à la Gilligan’s Island. Although bountiful bamboo has already become the sustainable star of the kitchen, it’s now getting its due in the bedroom, too.

“A lot of people are really surprised it’s bamboo,” says Gordon Guenter, Greenington’s rep in Canada, describing how the entire collection, from the Hosta bed (shown, priced from $1,400) to the accompanying dressers and night tables, are made from mature Moso bamboo, and finished front and back, so they can be floated mid-room in a modern loft.

Since the bamboo’s telltale “knots” are ground off and the furniture showcases features such as dovetail joints, it’s easy to be bamboozled by its hard-wearing beauty. Guenter says Greenington’s two lines of bamboo are so brawny they rival the strength of hardwoods, such as oak.