One of Earth’s most renewable resources is becoming one of Laguna’s most desirable trends.
When Goldie Hawn calls, you build her cabinets. At least that’s what Laguna resident Richard Goodman did when the Academy Award-winning actress was the first to contact his company, Laguna Bamboo, about its ecofriendly furnishings. Goodman’s career took off with Hawnapproved end-grain countertops for her house in Malibu, but the designer’s path has since led him to countless other projects across the country. And Goodman’s resume reflects a growing trend among homeowners: incorporating eco-friendly, all-purpose bamboo into a home’s interior structure or design.
There are many factors at play when it comes to bamboo’s increasing popularity: For one, though it’s technically a grass, bamboo is an incredibly sturdy material—stronger than steel, even. It’s also highly versatile, a fact illustrated by Laguna Bamboo’s impressive portfolio. Goodman, who specializes in bamboo kitchens, has also designed cabinetry, chairs, lampshades, sushi trays, tables and entertainment units with the material. He’s also redesigned entire closets and bathrooms with bamboo, which can be customized for nearly every space and furnishing imaginable. “Basically anything that can be made from wood, Laguna Bamboo can make in bamboo,” Goodman says.
A veritable artist, Goodman appreciates the depth as well as the intrinsic spiritual qualities of bamboo and the centuries of reverence it has held in eastern cultures. “I get my bamboo from China, often called the Kingdom of Bamboo, where over 400 species grow,” Goodman explains. Once he receives the bamboo, he processes it in his studio by either implementing the flat-grain or end-grain technique, the latter being his preferred method of design. With this technique, Goodman glues the bamboo into large blocks, and slices them into thin sheets approximately 1/16 of an inch. Next, he laminates the sheets in 3/4-inch panels. The end-grain technique is a timeconsuming and intricate art, and yields a high-quality product that helps set higher-end bamboo products apart.
In addition to its beautiful, natural aesthetic, sustainability, too, plays a role in bamboo’s allure. “As a culture, we have begun to realize that we need to have sustainable resources,” Goodman says. Bamboo, one of the fastest growing plants, has the potential to grow more than 20 inches a day. This allows the harvesting to happen in a short amount of time, qualifying it as one of the planet’s most renewable resources. It also absorbs carbon dioxide and releases more oxygen than a similar selection of trees, which means that it also has the potential to reduce a home’s carbon footprint. For this reason alone, it’s a design element worth reaching for.
By Nadia Najd, Christine Fugate and Laguna Beach Magazine Staff
As seen in Laguna Beach magazine September 2016 issue.
