News — design
Central Saint Martins graduates Brigitte Kock and Irene Roca Moracia have collaborated to create concrete-like tiles that give new "economic and ecological" value to invasive species.
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The material for the tiles, which the researchers refer to as bio-concrete, is made from Japanese knotweed and shells from American signal crayfish. The material can take on a range of different finishes These are among the non-native species that are causing the most ecological and economic damage in the UK. By adding value to them, Kock and Moracia hope to incentivise their removal and help restore local biodiversity. "Invasive species removal and control costs the UK around £1.8 billion annually," Moracia told Dezeen. "The harvested material is incinerated, buried or trashed. We want to stop this waste. We do...
French design students Hugo Maupetit and Vivian Fischer have developed a method for collecting discarded chewing gum and turning it into colourful, recycled plastic skateboard wheels.
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The students installed special collection boards in urban areas of Nantes, France, where passersby could stick their used gum rather than dropping it on the floor. Passersby stick their gum to public collection boards The gum was then collected every week before the gum was ground together with the collection board itself, which is made from polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) plastic. The PMMA helps to stabilise the chewing gum as it is melted together and machined into wheels. "During our test phases we needed between 10 and 30 chewing gums per wheel, depending on the size of the gum and the...
Berlin design students Lobke Beckfeld and Johanna Hehemeyer-Cürten have developed a translucent fruit-leather bag that dissolves in water and can be used to fertilise plants once it is no longer needed.
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The Sonnet155 is made from two different post-industrial waste materials – fruit skins left over from juice production and short cellulose fibres sourced from a local textile factory. Although it resembles a purse or tote with swooping top handles, the product has a lifespan closer to a disposable paper bag and is designed to degrade naturally with wear before it can ultimately be composted or recycled. The Sonnet155 bag comes in varying sizes, from small purses to larger totes "We designed the bag as an upgrade to the ordinary paper bag but of course, we hope that it appeals to...
10 Ways to Decorate Your Home by Reusing Old Items
Decorating your new home or updating the design of an old one can seem like an expensive affair. You may find yourself drooling over beautifully decorated rooms on TV, magazines, and Pinterest only to discover that the design comes with a hefty price tag. Fortunately, there are many ways to amp up the style of your space without breaking the bank. Here are some ways to reuse old times and turn them into beautiful (and functional) pieces of decor. 1. Old Maps to Creative Storage Boxes image © pexels The rise of GPS may have rendered old maps obsolete as...
Italian design studio High Society is putting waste from the local beer and coffee industry to good use, by turning it into a range of tubular lights and using profits to fund dependency prevention.
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The Senilia collection was first revealed as part of the Warsaw Home fair last week. Each piece features the same pipe-like shape, bent and twisted into five variations for each of the two colour-ways. The shades are derived from the natural pigmentation of the different forms of waste, which High Society collects directly from the source. The discarded coffee bean peels, also called silver skins, are already dry and can immediately be shredded, while the leftover hops and barley from breweries need to be dehydrated before they can be processed into a powder. "The different powders are mixed with a...