Good design is about solving problems and this is no news. What is new is the problem itself: climate change. We can no longer deny (although some still do) that climate change is the biggest problem to be addressed in our contemporary world.
Our researches and events coverage constantly reassured us that nowadays, good design
begins with sustainable materials, aims to reduce carbon footprint and waste. We were beyond happy to see many good design examples at Stockholm Design Week last February.
Norwegian furniture brand Vestre won the best stand award for its sustainable installation.
Designed by Note Design Studio, the stand used unprocessed natural materials that can be stored for future usage. The stand walls were made of clad in uncut sheets of plywood, counters were built up of uncemented bricks and the floor of stone chips. “Everything is fully recyclable and reusable. It’s modular in the sense that the wood panels are demountable and not screwed or glued” explains Daniel Heckscher from Note Design Studio.
They have also shared carbon footprint information about all their products so that visitors could learn about carbon emissions generated during products manufacture. A new version of the Folk bench designed by Swedish studio Front, for instance, has a carbon footprint of 3.75kg of carbon dioxide per year, supposing the piece remains in use for 30 years. The table from the same range has an annual footprint of 1.09kg of carbon dioxide.
By using beautiful raw materials usually found in the cityscape, Vestre and Note Design Studio not only created a sustainable stand but also manage to build a space that aesthetically navigates between outdoor and indoor space.
*Ph credit: Jesper Mellgren