JESSE JOHNSON, JOHNSON FAMILY FOUNDATION

Interior Motives: Homes That Are Stylish and Green

by Dominic Basulto

The trustee of any foundation needs to wear a number of hats––from strategic planner to investment manager to public servant. Jesse Johnson, a trustee of the Pittsburgh-based Johnson Family Foundation, would like to add one more hat to the ring: entrepreneur. With the launch of his newest venture, Q collection, Johnson hopes to introduce cities such as New York to the world of furniture and fabrics that are at the same time environmentally friendly and cutting-edge fashionable.

Johnson credits his work with the foundation for giving him the vision to develop a business focused on sustainability. A fascination with industrial ecology dates back to his graduate level work in environmental studies at Yale, says Johnson. As trustee, Johnson has been able to interact with a number of worthy environmental causes, such as a new Yale University initiative that applies a data intensive framework to study past and ongoing corporate environmental management programs.

It is exactly this goal of a more sustainable economy that led Johnson to form Q collection. Johnson, together with interior designer Anthony Cochran, launched the company after a nearly year-long process of extensively researching the origin and toxicity of all materials used in their furniture and fabrics. As a result, Q collection pledges, among other things, that all wood finishes do not contain polyurethane, wood glues are formaldehyde-free, and all woods are FSC-certified. As Johnson explains, “We move beyond form and function to embrace the best practices of sustainable design. In many ways, we are turning expectations upside down. Our furnishings prove that it is possible to satisfy the design and quality needs of the market while working to eliminate health and environmental concerns.”

After opening a new flagship showroom in New York’s Flatiron District in early 2004, the company has already received an enthusiastic review from the New York Times and has been cited in an article in the Wall Street Journal about the new trend toward “green” design. The company now offers 17 furniture designs and dozens of fabrics in a wide palette of colors. Q collection has also been able to price its products competitively, allowing it to appeal to designers and architects who might not have otherwise considered environmentally friendly products.

Although Johnson modestly notes that a number of high-profile celebrities have already inquired about purchasing environmentally-friendly sofas and chairs, he is quick to point out that the whole point of the venture is what many have called the “double bottom-line.” In other words, corporate profitability is nice––but only if it is accompanied by corporate sustainability. “By offering ‘green’ home furnishings at a competitive price point,” says Johnson, “we are able to define this market while at the same time creating a more healthy and sustainable environment.”

In his role as trustee, Johnson hopes to apply these same lessons––searching out those organizations that are able to make a return on investment by creating an environment conducive to healthy living and long-term sustainability.

For more information about Q collection, please contact the New York showroom at (212) 529-1400 or on the Web at www.Qcollection.com.