The latest collection from Sarah Gibson and Nicholas Karlovasitis, designers and owners of Sydney brand Design By Them, is called Confetti, named for its vibrant multi-coloured material made from 100% recycled plastic.
The range includes an armchair, bench, modular lounge, booth and ottoman, which combine the recycled plastic with upholstered shapes in a range of colours, and a series of tables, an umbrella stand and a planter.
The Confetti Armchair is formed from a simple cylindrical shape with cut-away seat and a round back from which two arms protrude slightly, above a base constructed from recycled plastic ‘confetti’ material.
Sarah Gibson and Nicholas Karlovasitis have been researching and sourcing recycled materials for a long time – one of their first product ranges, Butter, also utilises recycled materials. “It is clear that we have a waste problem and that although our society and some governments are doing their best to reduce the use of plastics, we have a huge amount of it already around,” they say.
“So if we can reuse this resource and reduce the amount of oil we are using, and carbon that we are releasing from the production of virgin plastic, it can only help. Furniture is a great way to upcycle this material and have it stay out of the waste stream.”
The recycled plastic material used in the Confetti was sourced in Australia and had previously been used in industrial applications only. “We worked closely with the suppliers to transition the product into another industry. You can imagine that the requirements for furniture and industrial projects are very different! We worked with the manufacturer to formulate our own ‘unique recipe’ and specialised fabrication methods.”
Material research is an important part of Gibson and Karlovasitis’s practice and they are currently investigating using recycled glass and fabrics in future product ranges. “The only issue we face is getting access to these new material developments and convincing manufacturers to adjust some of their production methods for them,” they say.
“There is huge potential for Australian manufacturers in this space. It is very difficult to implement and we would love to see more investment in this area by state and federal governments to assist manufacturing develop and market these materials.”
Design is not about creating just another ‘thing’. It is about understanding what the world needs now, and that is: less material in landfill, less carbon production and new ways to intelligently reuse materials. Confetti meets all of these parameters, is designed, developed and made in Australia and is also aesthetically powerful, with bold forms and colours and a distinctive personality.
Confetti Armchair is available with an optional swivel base.
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