The Metropolitan Furniture Co. was founded by Louis Abrams in 1905. In 1987, the company was purchased by Steelcase Inc., a major international furniture manufacturing company that also places a heavy emphasis on environmental concerns. The company, never formally shed the name, though its ads and business cards now use “Metro.” Metro, which started in San Francisco in 1905 and settled in Oakland four years ago after a stint in South San Francisco, both designs and builds furniture. In the early 1960s, when most furniture companies were selling traditional home furnishings, Metro promoted “modern design with sleek, clean lines,” according to Dan Chong, the company’s chief executive.