Raw Material: Discarded Armchair Becomes 9 Objects

Exploring what becomes possible when every material is considered a resource, designer Jan-Micha Gamer has unveiled a circular design study titled Raw Material: Armchair, or Armchair as Resource. The project deconstructs a single discarded leather armchair into nine distinct functional domestic objects. Salvaged from municipal bulky waste, the multi-component seating serves as a material test case investigating how complex consumer goods can be repurposed without downcycling.

Gamer began by disassembling the structural core, upholstery layers, and exterior envelope, sorting the timber, metal fasteners, foam, textile webbing, and worn leather hides. Instead of concealing imperfections, the design adapts production processes around the irregular dimensions and patinas of the recovered feedstock. Joinery solutions prioritize dry, reversible connections over permanent adhesives to maintain monomaterial purity for future disassembly cycles.

Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event

The resulting nine objects crafted from a single chair include the following items:

• Floor basket: Shaped from recovered leather, carrying creases and traces of use.
• Candleholder: Carries the geometric form of original beechwood feet into a new piece.
• Lamp: Layered geometric forms create the lampshade, revealing repurposed upholstery batting.
• Fruit basket: Translates spring geometry into a sculptural bowl joined with stainless-steel connectors.
• Pouf: Combines foam layers of different densities into a compact seating piece.
• Picture frame: Wood offcuts frame a print of the original armchair in its original state.
• Cabinet: Made from greyboard reusing surfaces once covered with foam, leaving adhesive residue visible.
• Carpet: Irregular leather pieces form a shape reminiscent of an animal hide.
• Table: Features a translucent coating highlighting the unusual grain of low-grade frame timber.

Source: designboom