Cheap, mass produced “throwaway furniture” that once looked passable under forgiving showroom lights generally ends up crowding our landfills, but maybe we should stop pointing the finger at manufacturers. While the budget-friendly, chemically impregnated offerings of IKEA and their brethren aren’t doing us or our environment any favors, if we choose to purchase them, the least that we can do is make the best of them once we invite them into our homes. Unfortunately, when items can be purchased for a song and dance, consumers think nothing about pitching them when they feast their eyes on the next suitable upgrade. For the most part, this disposable shopper mentality is embraced by the western world and responsible for the depletion of old growth forests (along with the creation of a hefty carbon footprint) but imagine if we took wood out of the formula altogether.
Interior decorating purists might argue that furniture without the wood is almost like experiencing a day in the park without the sun and blue sky. Forests can be sustainably managed, after all, whereas crafting household pieces out of alternative materials such as glass, bamboo and metal just don’t convey the same warmth, substance, tactile or visual aesthetic. As we are fast realizing, plastic furniture is a no-no and while it’s admittedly intriguing to see how artisans can convert recycled materials into eye-catching seating options or tables that make you look twice, those pieces tend to appeal to a limited segment of the population. So what are we left with…living tree accoutrements for our homestead…or should we adopt an entirely minimalistic approach that renders all furniture entirely unnecessary?
Instead of looking toward the forest, Spanish industrial designer Enoc Armengol believes that we should make the most of our ovens by kneading yeasty raw dough into 100% bakable, edible and fully sustainable chairs and tables. Explaining that his efforts are representative of “the short-time life of the current, almost ephemeral nature of furniture”, his prototyped Panpaati table and coordinating chairs become “part of the living process” if and when the owner decides to feast on them. His reasoning, beyond being poetic, is grounded in an interesting green vibe:
“Panpaati. Every piece forms a living, organic, natural structure, which suffers the alterations on having interacted with the environment, humans, animals...This is food! It creates a vital cycle (in) which it is born, lives, and dies without leaving rest. 100% alive matter. 100% biodegradable. The work is formed by a set of common furniture, composed by two chairs and one table, these turn automatically into the core of a synergy of shared actions, both internal and external, that modify the initial form constantly. Somehow this installation can be a clear reflection (of) actual society and (its) production process.” Imagine dousing one of his crusty creations in herb infused olive oil and then committing to gobbling up every last crumb of it before daring to replace it with a more permanent version. If anything, Armengol’s project triggers serious food envy and more importantly, a reevaluation of our deeply embedded consumeristic tendencies. Would you bite?
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