Back To the Future

Scrunchies. Mesh tops. Hammer pants. Some blasts are clearly better left in the past.  

And then there are some that get better the second time around, like the eco-friendly pieces from Forward Thinking Furniture.  

The Honolulu-based company uses building materials recovered from deconstructed Oahu homes and transforms them into beautiful, one-of-a-kind furniture.  

Owner and master craftsman Thorben Wuttke sources the majority of his materials from his former employer, Re-use Hawaii, a local non-profit that demolishes and dismantles houses and then salvages the parts—lumber, hardware, windows, doors, flooring, cabinets, even the kitchen sink—for re-sale. He even uses soy-based stains and finishes.

You've probably already encountered a few of Forward Thinking Furniture's commercial pieces at local businesses, like Peace Café, Alan Wong’s Pineapple Room and Super Citizen. And Wuttke can custom-create anything you like, from dining and coffee tables to bookshelves, entertainment centers, and bed frames.

Proving that an oldie but goodie can still be the best seat in the house.

Forward Thinking Furniture, 2015 Homerule Street, Honolulu, 808.220.5183, www.forwardthinkingfurniture.com