8+1 objects from recycled materials

As our planet signals an SOS, humanity is called to adjust to new conditions, incorporating ecology and practising resource-saving in daily life. Designers, increasingly during the past few years, emphasise research before the designing process. They invent new materials with innovative potential or search for already existing resources to reuse objects considered useless. So, old parts of products, building materials or packaging give life to objects that attract attention for their distinctive design. We’ve collected a few examples to present to you:

1. Trashformers - Savvas Laz

The favourite Greek designer, apart from marble, uses widely recycled materials. For the Trashformers collection, Savvas Laz creates sculptural objects, their form and colour inspired by Legos, crafted through a layering process. The main material is styrofoam which, after being coated with a mixture of resin, dust and fibreglass, is then combined with pieces of mirror, lights and glass to create seats, tables and lamps.

Trashformers, 2019 | savvaslaz.com

2. Primitive - Guillaume Sasseville

The industrial design studio SSSVLL, based in Montreal, created the Primitive furniture collection, viewing the industrial object as a natural resource. Thus, observing the object as a sculptor observes a monolith before sculpting it, this studio promotes a collection of everyday objects generated from a primary mould made from recycled materials. Each object is produced through different cuts on the initial form, keeping the initial mould recognisable even in the final product.

Primitive, 2021 | sssvll.com

3. Re.Bean Coffee Stool – Kristen Wang

Re.Bean Coffee Project explores not only the unique aesthetic and smell that the leftovers of ground coffee beans impart to objects but also their 100% biodegradable properties as a material. The award-winning stool by Kristen Wang, a Melbourne based designer, is made from a mixture of ground coffee with liquid elements that is poured into a plastic mould. To solidify the product, pieces of fabric from bags that used to contain coffee are added to the mix, and after a drying process, it’s folded in strategic places to become a solid seat.

Re.Bean Coffee Stool, 2020 | kristenwangdesign.com

4. Peggy Chair – Peggy Gou and Space Available

The famous techno DJ proves that music can correspond with ecology by designing this chair from trash collected in Indonesia. Each “Peggy Chair” is made from 20 kg of recycled polyethene - a material widely used for packaging- which is heated and then stirred to create these small swirls. The lower part of the chair forms a storage space for vinyl records. 

Peggy Chair, 2021

5. Swirl Tables – Tom Dixon

Geometric, heavy volumes are placed atop each other to create these unique tables, generating multifaceted and completely functional sculptures.  The small marble parts with different colour patterns, which are produced from dust residue found in marble factories, stand apart. This dust is blended with colour and resin to create volumes that can be easily cut and carved.

Swirl Tables, 2019 | tomdixon.net

6. Joaquim – Giorgio Bonaguro for Tacchini

Drawing inspiration from the simplicity of Brazilian furniture design and the modern environment of Niemeyer, Costa, and other architects, Giorgio Bonaguro creates the Joaquim collection. It’s a collection paying tribute to the geometric, linear forms of Joaquim Tenreiro, often characterised as the “father” of modern tropical design. Keeping with the principles of recycling and sustainability, the tables of the Joaquin series are supported by a metallic structure made by other manufacturers.

Joaquim, 2019 | bonagurogiorgio.com

7. Bell Chair - Konstantin Grcic for Magis

Recycling shouldn’t only concern designers individually but also each distinct industry. The Magis company, following this line of thought, is launching a monochrome chair with plain lines, emphasising essence more than image: Bell Chair is made from 100% recycled polypropylene that comes from objects made by the same company and waste of local car factories. Furthermore, the chair can be recycled anew after the user is done with it.

Bell Chair, 2019 | konstantin-grcic.com

8. Wood Clay Objects - Sigve Knutson

Born in Norway, Sigve Knutson experiments with different materials and forms, his objects resulting from a sequence of actions and not from a carefully designed plan. Through this way of thinking, he creates archetypal, solid and unified volumes that function as daily objects.

Note: we saw Wood Clay Objects among other objects of Sigve Knutson in his solo exhibition «Assembly», in Carwan Gallery of Piraeus (05.11.2021- 08.01.2022).

Wood Clay Objects, 2017 | sigveknutson.com

8+1. COAST bench – Allan Hagerup for Vestre

After all these impressive objects made from recycled materials, you might be wondering if sustainable design is limited to the housing scale. This bench that can be placed in any public space, gives you the answer. The sitting surface of COAST bench was designed with plastic waste collected from Norwegian coasts, while its base is made from steel that is hot-dip galvanised in a zinc bath thus enduring the humidity beside the sea. Drawing inspiration from this environment, the designers have imbued a sense of floating atop the sitting surface, which is supported by a ship carcass-resembling base.

Coast Bench, 2021 | vestre.com

All these objects prove powerfully the turn of design towards environmentally-friendly constructions. As technology evolves, creative concepts with revolutionary handling of traditional or not materials will produce objects that never cease to be useful in our everyday lives.