A craftsman at the Formr Workshop in San Francisco – Credit Formr

A natural collaboration has formed between a charity that leads design projects with incarcerated women, and a furniture retailer that hires formerly-incarcerated men.

The result? A beautiful end table made in a Japanese style using traditional Japanese woodworking techniques—the proceeds from which go to fund yet another charity that works with the formerly-incarcerated.

– credit, Kristen Murakoshi

“It’s a beautiful cycle of renewal—from discarded materials finding new purpose, to artisans rebuilding their lives, to women supported through the proceeds,” said Deanna Van Buren, founder of Designing Justice + Designing Spaces, an architecture, real estate, and design firm that also advocates an end to the current prison system whilst actively envisioning its replacement.

Van Buren has used her background as an architect to lead design workshops inside prisons to crowdsource ideas for spaces for prisoners re-entering society according to those prisoner’s preferences and needs.

For the table, she and DJDS partnered with Formr, a woodshop and furniture outlet staffed by marginalized members of society: including the formerly-incarcerated, formerly-homeless, former gang members, and former soldiers.

All their products are made using reclaimed wood from condemned urban trees, construction waste, or demolished buildings. In a phrase, Formr gives things a second chance.

Deanna Van Buren of Designing Justice + Designing Spaces leading a workshop with 60 women at County Jail #2 in San Francisco – credit DJDS

The design for the table was drafted by incarcerated women consulted by DJDS, and then built by the studio of Formr in San Francisco.

The Premium model ($795, 22″ diameter, 22″ height) showcases reclaimed wood finished with Shou Sugi Ban—a Japanese charring technique that creates dramatic ebony borders, highlighting natural grain patterns.

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The Accessible model ($495, 20″ diameter, 22″ height) maintains the same dimensions and sophisticated design but features sleek recycled steel hairpin legs for a lighter aesthetic at a more approachable price point. Each piece is signed, numbered, and hot-branded with the logos of the three collaborators: Designing Justice + Designing Spaces, Formr, and A New Way of Life.

A New Way of Life will receive 55% of the profit of each sale—to continue its work helping formerly-incarcerated women productively re-enter their communities and transition to single living.

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“This collection embodies our collaborative design philosophy, where people impacted by mass incarceration are essential co-creators of the spaces and objects that support healing,” Van Buren said in a statement. “By creating objects that represent growth and resilience, we invite people to bring this powerful symbol of transformation into their homes.”

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