Description

Provenance and Background Info

This sideboard is 2nd-hand and I was told it was about 25 YEARS OLD when I bought it. It’s in excellent condition though as the photos show.

This sideboard sold within 7 days of being listed for $1395 through iNVISeDGE in 2015. I’m finding it harder and harder to get Pacific Green stock these days and values for Pacific Green are on their way up. Virtually every piece of furniture I’ve sold in the last 17 years (Pacific Green or otherwise) is worth more or the same as when I sold it. This sideboard is no exception.

The description below was written in 2015

An exceptional sideboard / entertainment unit in SOLID PALMWOOD TIMBER by Pacific Green. Pacific Green is at the pinnacle in my eyes- they offer it all and also have their own original style. I’ve stocked 4 Pacific Green items before and they all drew immediate interest from international buyers in the UK, USA and Canada. One of these people communicated with me for over a month trying to make arrangements for shipping to Canada. (International Buyers note- shipping of this sideboard will cost in the vicinity of AU$1300 (approx. US$900) and will take at least 3 months.)

When I came across my first Pacific Green design about 2 years ago I immediately researched the Pacific Green brand more. I decided within 2 minutes I wanted to stock Pacific Green whenever I could find it. (Although in saying that there are some earlier designs I don’t like and won’t stock.)

Pacific Green is not as obscure as I first imagined. The business originated from the Post & Rail brand which started in Sydney in the 1970’s. I’ve stocked Post & Rail furniture before and would stock the right designs again (the quality of P & R is exceptional). Post & Rail grew into an international brand and in the late 1980’s they did the unthinkable. With a highly successful brand they changed tack completely. With the world’s new concern with deforestation and ecological threats, Post & Rail closed and re-branded as Pacific Green. Pacific Green searched the world for a sustainable quality timber for their future furniture production- the solution? Coconut wood. In the South Pacific, they found vast abandoned plantations of coconut palm trees, which were commercially planted in the early-1900s but had reached the end of productive fruiting. The best part- coconut wood is more resilient than virtually any timber on earth. It thrives in areas battered by tropical cyclones.

After I’d found out that I not only did I want the suite I’d found, I wanted to start stocking NEW Pacific Green furniture in iNVISeDGE (which would be a first for us because we only stock used items). But there’s more. Pacific Green set a benchmark for modern, sustainable business in the Pacific. In the late 1980’s land was leased in Fiji, not bought, to respect indigenous ownership. Their factory was built in consultation with the surrounding villages and employed only local people. Business and skills training programs were established. The majority of the company is owned by Fijians- the drive of the business is still Australian, the designing arm happens here in Australia. These designs are now sought-after all over the world.

Pacific Green today has grown from that little furniture-making firm that started in the Rocks, Sydney back in 1973 (as Post & Rail). I am inspired and heartened they changed tack back in the late 1980’s when ecological threats were barely thought of.

Okay, I must talk about the actual item on offer here. (Sorry for such a long-winded affair but the Pacific Green story needs to be told.) The thing is the piece sells itself. You can see from the photos that this sideboard is of INCREDIBLE QUALITY and has a refined tidy design that would work in any home. There’s also a touch of boldness too which is almost a Pacific Green / Post & Rail trademark. The design is intelligent- the timber slats in the front allow air to circulate around your electrical devices to keep them cooler. The piece has been designed purposefully as an entertainment unit but would be equally as suitable as a sideboard. (The slats are all smoothed and rounded which is a laborious process when working with hardwood.)

Pacific Green furniture is crafted BY HAND- a dying art but one that needs to be nurtured. Pacific Green is durable and will become the antiques of tomorrow. As a result Pacific Green sideboards today fetch prices of about AU $5500 each in the USA. No need to pay that price-tag here- this price is cheaper than most Freedom Furniture sideboards made with flat-packs.

Honestly I can write nothing critical about this sideboard or Pacific Green- if I wasn’t busy with iNVISeDGE I’d want to work with them.

I love scouting to find exciting furniture. Brands like Pacific Green are the reason I do this job. They ignite inspiration- they tick every box and prove that businesses can be successful, ecologically responsible and socially-aware. This sideboard has been built to last and will continue to tell stories well after you and I are gone- just like Post & Rail furniture has already done. There’s no better way to invest in your home and reduce landfill.