High Style & Healthy

Sergei Hasegawa started building cabinets and furniture in 1995. Soon after, he and his colleagues began questioning the health impact of the materials they were using, inspiring an enduring practice of intense research into materials; how, where, and from what they are made. "For purely selfish reasons, we wanted everything to be made of the healthiest materials we could find" says Hasegawa. At Purekitchen they know more than how materials look and how to use them; they know what the materials are made from and the process from raw ingredients to finished product.

After a few years as a cabinet shop, Hasegawa sought to focus the business. "I asked myself what is the best use of our skills, background and experience? I realized that the kitchen was the best place for us to focus and the materials should be a primary focus. The last place you want toxic materials is near your food." The name "Purekitchen" says it all: A clean aesthetic and safe materials.

Hasegawa continues the story, "Finding the materials to meet our standards was the biggest stumbling block. Resources were few and far between. With the way Green building has evolved, people come in with different ideas: Some people are interested in sustainably sourced materials, and sometimes chemical sensitivity is a concern. We try to offer products that suit all these criteria. We use PureBond® because it contains no added formaldehyde and because it is available with an FSC-certified core. It's really important for us to be as transparent as possible with the materials we use, and Purebond's product support really helps us out."

"The thing about designing kitchens is that a kitchen cabinet is a fairly simple product," says Hasegawa. It is one of the few products that can still be made in the US affordably and it is actually advantageous for it to be local in terms of LEED-qualification." (Purekitchen has a LEED AP on staff to oversee LEED projects). "Local-manufacturing saves money and, more importantly, lightens the carbon footprint. Buying a kitchen from the other side of the planet doesn't make sense to me."

Purekitchen has been recognized as a Green kitchen leader by such prestigious news sources as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Popular Mechanics, Gourmet Magazine and This Old House magazine.