Minimalist Sustainable Wooden Christmas Tree Comes to Kickstarter

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia, October 26, 2018 (Newswire.com) - A new kind of artificial tree has been designed in Slovenia by a small environmentally-conscious studio named Hello Yellow House and is now on the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter with a goal of €5000. With its geometric shape, the tree stores flat when not in use is pet and child-friendly, and can change shape by twisting the branches. It comes in three sizes and three wood types, deriving its name Yelka from the Slovene word for fir tree.

The team’s ethos applies both to their choice of materials and their build process: “We valued ecological and renewable methods and materials and chose to work with wood for its natural warm colouring; all of which is sourced here in Slovenia.” They’ve chosen to work with local businesses for the elements that they can’t produce in-house such as the laser-cut metal stands. Powder-coating is used to colour the bases, a process that leaves no paint waste, while linseed oil is used to treat the wood and no plastic is used in the tree or its box.

Artificial plastic trees do one thing well, and that's survive for years. We love the idea of longevity and reusing things which encouraged us to develop a more sustainable alternative.

Tinca Furlan, Architect, Hello Yellow House

As a budding competitor to plastic trees, the lifespan of the product helped influence many decisions such as the re-usable flat pack box: “Artificial plastic trees do one thing well, and that's survived for years. We love the idea of longevity and reusing things which encouraged us to develop a more sustainable alternative”. The simple design fits snugly in its box when not in use while the base requires only two screws to build. They believe that because of this, and the lack of pine needles, the Yelka is more child and pet-friendly than a single use tree: “With its sturdy base our tree can withstand quite a lot of rough and tumble.”

·       Early-bird orders of the tree are set to arrive as soon as Christmas this year

·       The Yelka comes in three sizes and three kinds of wood: oak, maple, and walnut

·       Its flat-pack box compactly stores the tree during the off-season

·       Christmas cards and felt stockings are also available to their supporters

·       Upon completion of their goal, the studio aims to create more sustainable products.

Based in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Hello Yellow House is comprised of two architects and a graphic designer, closely knit through their familial relationship and creative values. Driven by a desire to build their business and work with natural materials, they have been prototyping the Yelka in their spare time until it was ready to launch. “Slovenia is a country where there’s been a long history of woodworking, inspiring us to include it in our designs… Our studio’s aim is to create more sustainable interior products, so we’re hopeful that this campaign will help us to continue along our path.” The Kickstarter campaign is set to run until November 25, 2018.

Source: Hello Yellow House

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