Insights
Belgian designers enjoy a stellar worldwide reputation for their creativity in giving used materials a new life. These trendsetters are sure to inspire your SME!
Furniture for life
A table, cupboard or chair that has already lived a first life has so much more to tell. Designers Matthieu Michotte and Timothy Doig of Brussels-based REGGLO couldn’t agree more. They use second-hand materials to create functional furniture that fits perfectly into a contemporary (shared) workplace.
Designer Raphaël Fileccia from Mons also sees the potential of reuseReuse designates all operations by which substances, materials or products that are not waste are used again in an identical way to their originally intended purpose. and gives wood a second life by turning it into design pieces. His studio Vivoleno is well worth discovering.
So is Tom De Koninck, by the way. His project ROVER gives a new life to local industrial residual streams, transforming them into contemporary furniture and objects. How about a chair made from leftover reinforcing steel and pressed metal washers, for example?
Brussels-based Joachim Froment takes it one step further and uses a 3D printer to create design furniture from recycled plastic.
Playing with light
Fresh designs that infuse any space with atmosphere and light is what Claus Van de Velde excels at. Look closely and you will recognise, among other things, an old bicycle frame in his design ‘the Lichtfiets’.
The team at Monoton from Hasselt sheds new light on discarded flat screens. They remove the top layer of the screen and create a surprising light design or logo, fully tailored to the customer’s wishes.
Or perhaps you’re already familiar with Arnaud Eubelen from Liège? He transforms found materials, building remnants and industrial waste into intriguing light installations.
Circular at the table
Old plates and cups tend to lose their lustre but are often still in good condition. Second-hand shops are flooded with discarded tableware no one is interested in. At Stock Antwerpen, this forgotten crockery receives a new layer of paint and glaze so it can reclaim its place of honour at the table.
Food for thought
Discarded fabrics and clothing struggle to find their way back into our wardrobes and that’s unfortunate because they can act as a high-quality raw material. An excellent example is ‘be the fibre’, an organisation that breathes new life into fabrics by recyclingAny recovery operation through which waste, including organic waste, is reprocessed to become substances, materials or products that can be used for their initial function or other functions. them into new products such as shoulder bags or laptop sleeves.
The plant-based textile dye from Studio WOUW is another remarkable example of innovation, design and creativity, in which old fabrics are given a vibrant colour to prepare them for a second life.
CircularityCircularity describes the quantity of materials managed in a closed loop. on the wall
Artist Mia Meutermans proves that you don’t always have to start from a blank canvas. Her paintings take shape by painting over old, used canvases. Traces of the original work remain, giving each painting additional depth and circular meaning.
Designer Liesbet Braeckman also dislikes bare walls. She transforms surplus woven fabrics into intriguing sculptures and graphic designs that are not just aesthetically pleasing but also invite handling.
Charles Kaisin, a Brussels-based artist with roots in Charleroi, also sees enormous potential in upcyclingUpcycling consists of transforming waste into higher quality products.. Origami made from used paper forms a common thread in many of his works.
Discover other talents
The list of designers featured in this article is not exhaustive, there are many more fascinating circular designers waiting to be discovered!
Want to know more about circular design? Read all about it on the page EcodesignEcodesign allows a product design to be adapted in view of its repair or a full or partial repurposing of its components at the end of its useful life..
