A locally sourced place for customers and clients to go to purchase a large variety of natural materials, consult experts and experience ‘green’ materials first hand is Originate. This is a natural building materials’ showroom located in Tucson, Arizona.
“Originate specializes in interior finishes that are environmentally friendly, non-toxic, durable, and made from natural and renewable resources.”
Some of the choices that the clients and customers have are that in the countertop and tile area visitors can find countertops that are 50-100 percent recycled paper resin based, 60 percent aluminum scrap metal materials, recycled glass tiles and pure natural materials such as slate, limestone, quartzite and bamboo. They may also wish to purchase tiles made from 70 percent recycled windshield glass.
In the flooring department, one can find bamboo, cork, natural linoleum, managed certified wood, salvaged wood and wool carpet to choose from.
As far as building materials, paint, plaster, pigments, stains, sealers and finishes go consumers can choose between plywood, paneling, insulation, interior and exterior stains, cleaning and preparation supplies, and adhesives and caulking all naturally produced with low VOCs and no harmful chemicals.
Under the water and energy categories, products such as dual-flush toilets, ShowerStart Technology shower systems and 90-100 percent recycled aluminum and bronze fixtures that source LEDs for light can be found.
Currently their newest product showrooms include:
- EcoTimber
- EcoSmart Fire
- Studio Marler Cabinetry
- Almada Cork
- Cheng Concrete
- Ernest Hemingway Hardwood Flooring
- Vermont Natural Coatings
- DuChâteau Flooring
Some of these newest products are as follows:
EcoTimber’s showroom displays their introduction of two new additions to their dyed woven engineered bamboo in gray tones.
EcoSmart Fire spotlights the 15 new additions of fire and cooking units to their collection of ultra efficient indoor/outdoor ranges.
Studio Marler exhibits their customizable systems for kitchens, bathrooms and storage areas. They have 100 percent recycled Arreis fiber-board panels with water based dyes that are environmentally friendly.
The final example of materials that can be found at Originate’s Showroom is Cheng Concrete. This company produces a natural water-based formula that is non-toxic and environmentally safe for the care and finish of concrete indoor surfaces.
Many other materials under many common name brands can be found in Originate. Their dedication to giving people multiple choices of products while staying environmentally aware is inspiring.
“Originate functions as a community resource. We enjoy sharing knowledge about natural building materials and making environmentally aware choices during the design and build process.”
Everything they do offer is natural and produced locally which gives hope that someday these products will be mainstream, found in every dwelling, store and business. This is a showroom that doesn’t just highlight materials but highlights a better future in design.
