Inspiring chairs made from eco-friendly composite materials
Last week, Basque furniture brand Alki debuted the world’s first bioplastic chair, Kuskoa Bi. The impressively smooth result of the plant-based polymer got us wondering: what other intelligent bio-composites are out there? We rounded up five chairs by five designers use some unlikely natural materials.
Terroir by Nikolaj Steenfatt and Jonas Edvard
Nikolaj Steenfatt is devoted to natural materials. We already found (and loved) his hardened leather chair, which revives an age-old technique, but he has also worked with recycled plastic, sand and algae! His Terroir series, developed in collaboration with Jonas Edvard, combines paper and algae into a solid composite that he has transformed into seating and lighting. The seaweed is harvested in Denmark, dried, ground to a powder and boiled down to create a natural polymer that is then combined with paper.
Hemp Chair by Werner Aisslinger
With the initial support of BASF Acrodur, Dutch design giant Werner Aisslinger created the very first Monofiber chair. Made entirely from natural fibers, such as hemp, the chair is molded under heat with a special ecologic glue to create the solid form. The design was initially presented at the “Poetry Happens” exhibition at Ventura Lambrate and then again in collaboration with Moroso.
Well Proven Chair by James Shaw & Marjen van Aubel
When confronted with the waste created by the process used to create timber planks, James Shaw and Marjen van Aubel saw an opportunity. The duo collected the wood shavings and combined them with a bio-resin. An interesting chemical reaction occured that created a foam-like substance, and they turned this substance into the Well Proven Chair!
The Living Room Project by Merjan Tara Sisman & Brian McClellan
Mushrooms are so hot right now. From 3D printed mycelium chairs to homegrown lamps, it’s an eco-material goldmine! Realizing the potential of mushrooms, designers Merjan Tara Sisman and Brian McClellan grew mushrooms into pre-fabricated molds. The resulting design objects are a bit rough around the edges, but we dig the concept.
ArtiChair by Spyros Kizis
Greek designer Spyros Kizis created a particularly scrumptious eco-composite out of artichoke thistle pulp and bio-resin. The material is 100% biodegradable and can be used as biofuel. Artichoke thistle grows easily in Mediterranean climates, thus also potentially providing farmers with incentive for a new type of multi-purpose crop.
