BE OPEN BLOG

In recent years, a wave of innovation in sustainable design has ushered in a new era of materials that are as environmentally conscious as they are aesthetically groundbreaking. These chair designs push the boundaries of traditional furniture-making by utilizing organic, biodegradable materials such as mycelium, coffee grounds, and plant fibers. Whether exploring the cyclical process of decay and growth, repurposing everyday waste, or creating modular structures that reduce waste, each project exemplifies a bold commitment to reshaping the future of design in harmony with nature.

Daniyar Uderbekov’s 10 Nodes Armchair embodies the intersection of sustainability, innovation, and natural materials. Continuing his exploration of biodegradable wool furniture, the Kazakh product designer continues his exploration of sustainable design with the 10 Nodes Armchair, a striking piece crafted from natural wool and innovative biomaterials. Upholstered in a single large piece of felt, the chair’s frame is made from repurposed wooden cuttings sourced from old garden tools, while its bold woolen terrazzo finish is created using recycled PET plastic, 3D printed from discarded bottles.

Uderbekov chose felt for its biodegradable nature and exceptional durability, making it resistant to the elements—rain, snow, and sun. To further enhance its outdoor suitability, the felt is treated with a protective coating, ensuring it remains water-resistant and versatile enough for both indoor and outdoor use.

The design of the 10 Nodes Armchair was driven by a minimalist approach, with the challenge of using as few connecting nodes as possible in the frame. The result is a sleek structure composed of just ten pieces, embodying the chair’s name. The hand-rolled, recycled felt, often embedded with small organic elements like grass, seeds, and threads, inspired Uderbekov to add vibrant specks of color and texture to the chair’s surface. The final aesthetic is a rich, terrazzo-like pattern, reflecting the beauty of natural materials and Uderbekov’s commitment to nature-inspired design.

With the 10 Nodes Armchair, Uderbekov merges traditional craftsmanship with cutting-edge biomaterials, creating a piece that is not only visually striking but also deeply connected to nature’s cycles of renewal and sustainability.

Building on the concept of biomaterials and nature-inspired design, NONGZAO’s CONSUMER, Coffee Grounds Mycelium Practice offers a bold and innovative approach to addressing the environmental impact of plastic. The project transforms everyday plastic objects—such as monobloc chairs, plastic stools, and lighting fixtures—into eco-friendly items by using them as molds for mycelium, a naturally occurring fungus grown on agricultural waste like coffee grounds and rice husks. This process not only offers an alternative to conventional plastic but also breaks the visual monotony of mass-produced items, infusing each piece with unique, organic textures and patterns that reflect the natural growth of mycelium.

The widespread use of plastic has been a hallmark of modern industry, prized for its low cost, durability, and versatility. However, the ecological cost of plastic has become undeniable, with over 430 million tons produced annually, most of it used in short-term applications that quickly end up as waste. In regions like Guangdong, China, the ubiquity of red plastic furniture has become symbolic of the industrial era, yet its prevalence has led to a loss of aesthetic diversity. CONSUMER directly challenges this industrial homogenization by offering a sustainable, biodegradable alternative to plastic that also embraces the imperfections and beauty of nature.

NONGZAO’s use of mycelium—a biodegradable material that naturally breaks down in soil—reflects a commitment to a closed-loop system, where materials can be regenerated and returned to the earth. The studio uses coffee grounds, a byproduct rich in nutrients like cellulose and lignin, as the ideal substrate for growing mycelium, turning agricultural waste into a resource rather than a burden. This process not only helps recycle waste but also promotes carbon sequestration, as mycelium absorbs and stores carbon dioxide during its growth cycle, making it an environmentally beneficial material.

By employing mycelium’s natural growth process, NONGZAO introduces an element of unpredictability and organic beauty into each piece, offering a stark contrast to the uniformity of mass-produced plastic. The result is a collection of objects that not only challenge the aesthetics of modern industrial design but also provide a sustainable solution to one of the most pressing environmental issues of our time: plastic waste. With CONSUMER, NONGZAO proves that design can be both innovative and eco-conscious, creating unique, functional pieces that offer a glimpse of a more sustainable future.

The final project in this exploration of sustainable and nature-inspired design is Blooming Decay Stool by Gisung Han, a thought-provoking piece that embraces the impermanence of materials and the idea of purposeful biodegradation. Designed with outdoor use in mind—particularly for festivals and campsites where temporary furniture is often needed—the stool’s lifespan is intentionally short. Han envisions it as a chair that is embraced for its transience, used for a season, and then discarded, where it will naturally decompose and bloom into wildflowers.

Han began the project by experimenting with various types of bioplastics, including agar, rice, corn, gelatin, and clay, all embedded with flower seeds to create a chair that would sprout and grow as it decomposed. After numerous tests, he settled on potato-based bioplastic, a material chosen for its strength, dryness, and ease of processing. Combined with seeds, the potato plastic would grow into a plant over time—what started as a humble potato-based chair blossomed into a vivid display of nature’s resilience.

The process wasn’t without its challenges. Issues such as mold growth, shrinkage, and warping during drying arose, particularly when flower seeds and fertilizer were added to the mix. After multiple iterations, Han discovered that reinforcing the bioplastic with natural materials such as coconut fiber, hemp, loofah, and clay provided the necessary strength and elasticity while also preventing mold. Coconut fiber proved especially effective, adding strength and moisture-absorbing properties, while loofah introduced elasticity, making it suitable as a cushion for the stool.

The Blooming Decay Stool’s structure is minimalist yet functional, with a tripod design inspired by the need for stability on uneven outdoor surfaces. The three cylindrical legs ensure the stool’s stability and facilitate its natural return to the earth when discarded. The form itself is simple, with basic geometric shapes, but the material takes center stage. The stool’s surface features a petal-like motif that adds visual interest and echoes the natural growth process of the flowers that will eventually bloom as the stool decomposes.

For Han, the material is the message—he wanted to create something that would be useful for a short time but would have a life beyond its initial function, ultimately offering a visual and ecological benefit as it returned to the earth. The Blooming Decay Stool reflects a deep commitment to sustainability, reminding us that design can be temporary, biodegradable, and still meaningful, bringing beauty to nature even as it fades away.