Material designer and maker, Charlotte Kidger, is known for her sophisticated (and ethical!) approach to design. Her work includes furniture made from recycled industrial waste – polyurethane foam dust, a byproduct of 3D model making. Apart from being functional, her work also has a sculptural purpose, providing an industrial, if artistic, edge to interior design.
“It began with a curiosity into how I could transform general everyday waste plastic into a new material through alternative processing methods,” she explained the idea behind her line of furniture in an interview with Upcyclist. “I shifted from looking at everyday plastics and decided to focus on industrial waste streams, as I hoped for scalability and more unexpected material inputs.”
With a hands-on approach, Kidger went on to explore the possibilities of using secondary raw materials to create innovative and exciting new outcomes with a core focus on materiality. Using a wide range of traditional techniques and processes, her materials are reengineered and revalued to reveal their future potential and use.
“Each piece has a balance between form and function and can be perceived by the viewer as pieces of art or functional products,” says Kidger. They also make for a pretty powerful statement regarding our use and misuse of plastic waste.
