Charlotte Kidger Makes Unique Furniture Out of Plastic Waste

Material designer and maker, Charlotte Kidger, understands the importance of not only good design but that of good materials. With a process-driven hands-on approach, she explores the possibilities of using secondary raw materials to create innovative and exciting new outcomes with a core focus on materiality.

Her most exciting designs include furniture made from recycled industrial waste (polyurethane foam dust, which is a byproduct of 3D model making), which was made using molds from found objects. All materials and objects are highly crafted by hand with little or no waste and energy throughout the making process, making her work striking as well as ethical.

“It began with a curiosity into how I could transform general everyday waste plastic into a new material through alternative processing methods,” she recalled 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.”

And so, she began visiting different industrial estates in the UK to see what by-products existed and to gather general research as to where this waste went. “It was surprising to find out a lot of companies hadn’t even thought about where their waste was going, once it was of no value to them it was out of sight out of mind,” she says.

Using a wide range of traditional techniques and processes, her materials are reengineered and revalued to reveal their future potential and use. “So far, I have created both sculptural and functional pieces,” says Kidger. “Each piece has a balance between form and function and can be perceived by the viewer as pieces of art or functional products.”

Take a closer look: