Our Story
Casual Elements® is a family owned and operated fine furniture company that is based in Sacramento, California. We manufacture, import and distribute beautifully designed, high quality home and garden furniture and accents pieces.
The company was founded in 1996 by George Khayat, an international airline pilot who was on assignment in Indonesia. He fell in love with the country, its people and their incredible ability to hand-craft the most beautiful pieces of art. At first, the plan was to import hand-crafted furniture. However as the business grew and the passion for fine furniture and beautiful designs also grew, the company gradually began to expand into in-house production. Today, Casual Elements® controls the entire manufacturing, importing and distribution process.
Our Service
At Casual Elements® our pride is not only in our products, it is also in our customer service. We value you the customer above all and pay attention to every detail of your purchase to ensure your complete satisfaction.
Although we are a high-end furniture manufacturer and direct importer, we believe that luxury should be affordable and we price our items accordingly.
Based in Sacramento, California, our furniture is delivered locally as well as shipped nationwide and to many international destinations.
Click here to read what our customers are saying about us.
Our Mission Statement
Our Commitment to Quality
Casual Elements® does not mass-produce furniture. Every piece we make is unique in some way because it is hand-crafted to perfection by master craftsmen. Our production process which usually takes 8 to 10 weeks, starts with the careful selection of timber.
The logs are then transported to the sawmill and cut into boards.
From there they enter the production process at the Casual Elements® factory. The first stop is the kiln-drying of the boards which, depending on the type of wood, the thickness of the boards and the air humidity, can last from 14 days to more than 6 weeks. The moisture content of the wood must drop to less that 10% before it is accepted into the production process.
Creating a new model always starts by drawing detailed and precise plans. Once the plans are approved, the first prototype is built and tested for style, comfort and durability.
Each component of an item is carefully hand-crafted to exact specifications outlined in our technical manuals. “We have the best carpenters in the world” boasts George, “It is a true pleasure to watch them and work with them. They put their heart and soul into every piece they hand-craft”. Once all components are ready, the furniture piece is assembled, inspected and then sent to a separate workshop to undergo the finish process.
Like our carpenters, our finishers are true masters at their art. They take great pride in the quality of their work knowing that each piece they complete is destined to adorn a beautiful home or garden. Once a furniture piece arrives at the finish workshop, it undergoes 8 to12 different application steps before it is completed.
After a stay in the “drying room”, the furniture is carefully inspected, packaged and stored awaiting the long four-week ocean journey to the Casual Elements® warehouse in Sacramento, California.
Upon arrival, the merchandise is inspected again by our team of technicians before becoming available for shipment to the customers.
Our Wood
All timber used in the crafting of our furniture is obtained from reclaimed materials or professionally operated plantations. We strongly believe that timber harvested from other sources is often illegal, damaging to the environment and of poor quality
We use 4 types of timber in our production, Teak, Mahogany, Mango and re-claimed Teak. The Teak and Mahogany are sourced from Perum Perhutani, a government organization that manages the plantations in Indonesia to ensure their sustainability. These plantations were originally established by the Dutch a few hundred years ago with seeds they brought from Burma (today known as Myanmar). Since then, through science, much progress has been achieved in the growing of the trees. Today all the timber grown on these plantations is genetically engineered like rice, corn or other crops to achieve desirable characteristics. They basically combine the DNA from several desirable specimens to create the “perfect tree” that grows faster, taller, denser, contains more natural oils, has fewer branches, is more straight, etc.
As for the Mango wood, it is sourced from fruit farms. After 20 to 30 years, Mango trees stop producing fruit. They are then cut down and replaced by new saplings, making Mango wood another sustainable timber.
The re-claimed Teak is sourced from throughout the island of Java in Indonesia. Old fishing boats, old buildings, old houses, old farm tools, etc. are all good candidates to be reincarnated into our beautiful re-claimed Teak furniture. Our re-claimed Teak is the ultimate green product. Click here to read our Green Policy
Our Paints & Stains
We use the finest products available to finish our furniture. This ensures not only beauty of the items but also durability of the finishes for our interior as well as our outdoor lines. We never use lead or other toxic chemicals in the production or finishing of our products. All of our stains are low VOC (volatile organic compounds) and all of our paints are water-based. This ensures they are safe for our workers and customers and are not harmful to the environment.
Our High Standards
Casual Elements® is committed to the highest quality standards for all the furniture lines we manufacture and import. Our items are hand-crafted by master craftsmen using top grade materials and superior construction techniques with great attention to detail. This results in exceptional quality furniture with unique beauty and character. To name some of the features that make our furniture and service superior:
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Top grade, plantation-grown Teak, Mahogany, Mango or re-claimed Teak.
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Kiln-dried wood to less than 10% moisture content prior to construction. This minimizes the effects in environments where significant changes in humidity and temperature can cause shrinkage or swelling.
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Special hardware that allows the wood to expand and contract.
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Mortise and tenon and dovetail wood joinery.
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Brass hardware.
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Top quality paints and stains that are toxic-free and environmentally friendly.
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Top grade fibers for our All-Weather Wicker outdoor furniture.
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Leading brands “Sunbrella” and “Sunproof” fabrics for our outdoor cushions, and commercial grade fabrics for our interior furniture.
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The use of environmentally-friendly products and practices in our production.
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Our commitment to social responsibility and fair labor practices in our production.
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Extensive quality control and merchandise tracking systems.
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Knowledgeable customer service professionals to ensure your complete satisfaction.
Our Commitment to Social Responsibility
& Fair Labor Practices
Casual Elements® is committed to fair labor practices and social responsibility in the production, importing and distribution of our furniture. We provide equal opportunity employment and hire only seasoned professionals in our factories. We insist on safe and comfortable working conditions and offer good compensation packages in order to attract and retain the best skilled people around.
Our Resilience
Sometimes Mother Nature does not cooperate. But we always manage to keep smiling and keep going. We take guidance from the wisdom that “Life is not about having the best of everything but about making the best of everything we have”. Our “can do” attitude is unshakable and the results speak for themselves.
Mt. Merapi, Gunung Merapi (literally Fire Mountain in Indonesian) is the most active volcano in Indonesia. It dominates the landscape near our workshop in the town of Klaten and occasionally reminds us of its presence and Flash floods which happen without warning, are a regular occurrence during each year’s rainy season.
In May 2006, a strong earthquake hit Central Java causing major damage and loss of life. Coming within a short time span after the earthquakes and the tsunami of 2004 and 2005, that earthquake was a reminder of the natural perils facing the archipelagic country of Indonesia.
Our Greater Family
