What does it take to make sustainable furniture more accessible — without compromising on style, comfort, or quality?
On today’s episode, we welcome Phantila Phataraprasit, CEO and Co-Founder of Sabai — an AAPI and female-founded sustainable furniture brand rethinking what we bring into our homes. A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, Apartment Therapy Changemaker, NYU Law graduate, and board member of the Sustainable Furnishings Council, Phantila brings a unique perspective to one of the most complex and overlooked consumer categories: furniture.
Inspired in part by her early experience working in her mother’s eco lodges in Thailand, Phantila built Sabai to address a major blind spot in the sustainability and non-toxic living conversation. We think carefully about what we eat, what we put on our skin, and what we clean with — but often know very little about the materials inside the furniture we live with every day.
In this episode, Phantila shares how Sabai is challenging the traditional furniture model through thoughtful material choices, modular design, and programs that extend the life of each piece. We discuss the challenges of producing sustainable furniture in a category known for waste, hidden materials, long supply chains, and high price points. Phantila also explains how Sabai’s definition of sustainability has evolved from recycled and upcycled materials toward more natural, lower-toxin options, including the brand’s Elevate Natural Collection made with materials like coconut fiber, cotton, latex, muslin, and jute.
We also talk about Sabai Revive, the company’s national furniture buyback program, its Repair Don’t Replace program, and the launch of Fabric by the Yard to make sustainable fabrics more accessible to customers and designers. Phantila shares what it takes to build trust in a category where customers cannot always see what is inside a product, and how Sabai designs furniture that feels elevated and stylish — not overly “eco.”
If you’re interested in sustainable design, circularity, non-toxic living, consumer trust, or building a mission-driven brand in a hard-to-disrupt category — this episode is for you. Tune in now on The Kara Goldin Show.

Are you interested in sponsoring and advertising on The Kara Goldin Show, which is now in the Top 1% of Entrepreneur podcasts in the world? Let me know by contacting me at karagoldin@gmail.com. You can also find me @‌KaraGoldin on all networks.

To learn more about Phantila Phataraprasit and Sabai:
https://www.sabai.design/
https://www.instagram.com/sabaidesign/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/sabai-design/
https://www.tiktok.com/@sabaidesign
https://www.linkedin.com/in/phantila-phataraprasit/

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Check out our website to view this episode’s show notes: https://karagoldin.com/podcast/878