Hey there, hope y’all had a wonderful weekend.
Those of you who are avid readers of the Madison Seating Blog, are familiar with my obsession with all things furniture, and especially the innovative, unconventional and sometimes outrageous designs making their way into the furniture world today. Combine that with some other added element such as Eco-friendly designs made from recycled material, or some sort of bio-degradable concept and I am hooked!
These next few items listed here, each have their own unique story and twist, but they are all linked in the sense that they are made from recycled everyday materials in an impressive display of creative ingenuity.
Take a look…
1. Food wrappers woven into sturdy sheets provide the upholstery for a piece of furniture that’s a definite attention grabber.
Because each item in designer Emiliano Godoy’s collection is made to order, the selection of recycled packaging material offers potential to personalize the look. The front sides of candy wrappers and soda labels offer varied color blends. The blank reverse sides provide a fabric that’s white or silver. The upholstery is slipped over a wooden structure.
The candy wrapper chair is offered by Miami-based Ecoist, which sells various products made from chip bags, soda labels and other recycled food packaging.
The material is generally acquired from printing waste, such as misprints and excess stock.
The candy-wrapper upholstery is reported to be naturally water repellant, so the products may be wiped clean. The price is $1,800.
2. Without any extra embellishment, discarded plastic bags offer a vibrant palette when transformed from litter into a yarn-like material for handcrafted items such as these portable FunkyJunk floor seats.
Washed and dried, discarded bags pulled off the streets and fields are cut into pieces and hand-crocheted in Cambodia. The floor cushions, offered in an assortment of colors and widths, are stuffed with even more excess plastic bags.
Each seat represents hundreds or thousands of bags that otherwise would be litter or part of the wastestream. The 40-inch-seat weighing 60 pounds is made with about 5,400 bags. They are sold either already stuffed or flat. Prices are $60 to $260.
3. Discarded walnut shells earn a fresh level of respect as the prime source for a picturesque product named Nuxite. The sturdy bits are blended with an eco-friendly resin to form solid slabs that offer a shell-bit pattern for tables and other surfaces.
Baltix,a sustainable commerical furniture business in Minneapolis, sells some Nuxite pieces, with most prices ranging from about about $500 to $4,000.
4. Pub tables, bar-stools and love seats are among various furniture items built from bike parts at Bike Furniture Design. Handlebars, frames, rims and other bits of bike are a primary resource, but occasionally recyclables from other types of transportation are incorporated into a project.
Train and auto windows double as tabletops. Surplus seat belt webbing is tapped for upholstery. Most prices range from about $100 to $1,000.
5. Rachel Spire, an artist and furniture designer in Grapevine Texas, is providing a fresh spin on old metal drums. The industrial discards are washed and reshaped into Sweet Seats.
Some are embellished with on-board drink holders, which are built from recycled gears and other bicycle parts. The cut metal edges of the seats are lined with a protective material that’s actually recycled inner tubes from bike tires.
Rachel says the seats are quite comfortable. She builds and paints them to order. Most prices range from about $440 to $600.
6. Mike Bellino uses snow skis, water skis, hockey sticks, snowboards, skateboards and baseball bats to build furniture in his SkiChair shop near Boston. The sources of materials are damaged and used sports equipment along with manufacturing discards.
The product line includes Adirondack chairs, swings and benches. The furniture, which Bellino says is easy to assemble, is shipped in recycled boxes. Prices for most pieces range from $300 to $1,500.
Would love to hear your thoughts…