Seaweed Research For Furniture

Seaweed is - for obvious reasons - a weed of the sea and you'd be forgiven for never imagining such a material being able to be made into a yarn, textile dye or paint. Following two years of research into the possibility of using such a natural material in design, Studio Nienke Hoogvliet have made and released their SEA ME COLLECTION.

The research began with the studio's project SEA ME that consisted of a handmade rug that was knotted with seaweed yarn and using a discarded fishing net. Wanting to extend such a project into how seaweed can contribute to a more sustainable textile industry, the ambition was for the final result to be made via a circular process to optimally use the seaweed; the waste of one process within the cycle becomes used for another process, ultimately ending with zero waste.

Discovering more potential than expected, the studio concluded that natural seaweed dye can offer a wide variety of colours, dying textiles into greens, browns, greys and even pinks and purples. Wanting to show the potential of these results, a chair and table were produced: the seating of the chair made of seaweed yarn and naturally dyed; the leftovers used to create a regular paint for the tabletop; and the waste from the above used to make bio-plastic bowls. An abundant material of the sea, the studio have ambition to have seaweed as an integral part of our homes in the future. Discover more about the studio's ideas at NienkeHoogvliet.nl.

Photography credit : NienkeHoogvliet.nl