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Turning Seaweed into Furniture: Clean Design From Sustainable Ocean Materials

The Sea Me collection is an attractive attempt to reconcile the bounty and ecological vulnerability of the ocean. Designer Nienke Hoogvliet has researched the design applications of recycled and naturally produced sea materials for over two years, and her findings are both surprising and attractive. 

She has found a method for processing seaweed into a yarn soft and inviting enough for use in the modern home. Her original Sea Me rug paired this yarn with reclaimed fishing net (one of the most common sources of plastic sea pollution), in a simple but evocative design. 

With support from the Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie she continued this research to investigate its sustainability in larger production. She also widened the scope, aiming to find complimentary materials and production methods that, when employed together, yield as close to zero waste product as possible. With this in mind she expanded her work to include seaweed dyes, paint, leather made from fish byproduct, and bioplastic. 

Using her findings, Hoogvliet designed the Sea Me Collection: a clean chair and table set. The seat is seaweed textile colored with a seaweed dye. The byproduct of that process is used to make the paint for the table, and the table’s waste was used to make bio-plastic bowls. 

The collection illustrates that while naturally derived products are often limited when compared with more synthesized options, they can still be strong and beautiful contenders. The Sea Me dyes, textiles and plastics have proved to be vivid, light fast, flexible and strong. 

Hoogvliet is interested in seaweed both for its wide range of material uses and its restorative role in diverse ecosystems. Seaweeds filter out pollutants like phosphates, and convert C02 so readily that they’re one of the globe’s key sources of oxygen. They could also be farmed without taking up arable land and water resources onshore.

Her research and production is documented in the book Seaweed Research, out now in Dutch and available in English by the end of the year. The book and Hoogvliet’s sustainable textiles are available on her webstore. 

http://www.core77.com/posts/54667/Turning-Seaweed-into-Furniture-Clean-Design-From-Sustainable-Ocean-Materials