Phillipe Starck’s Broom – A sustainable chair that swept away industrial waste like magic

Here is some food for thought – what if our leftovers could be turned to functional furniture that looked food? I mean good, that looked good! Phillipe Starck is a French designer which means he eats really good food and has managed to turn the leftovers into some really good chairs called the Broom for Emeco. Global food waste (aka leftovers) is twice as high as predicted reports CNN but leftovers don’t necessarily mean just food – it is any waste that ends up in the trash and the solution to waste management lies in creative, sustainable design. The Broom is a fine example of just that! Recycled, recyclable and designed to last – this is where rubbish becomes responsible.

The relationship between Phillipe Starck and Emeco is what turned the company from just a US Navy supplier to a coveted furniture design brand. “Working with Emeco has allowed me to use recycled material and transform it into something that never needs to be discarded – a tireless and unbreakable chair to use and enjoy for a lifetime,” says Starck who believes every creator has a duty to the society. Emeco uses recycled aluminum, recycled PET, reclaimed wood polypropylene, eco-concrete, and cork. In fact, the Broom chair is made of 90% reclaimed waste polypropylene and wood fiber that would normally be swept into the trash – hence the name!

Broom is the ingenious result of a design collaboration that both avoids and eliminates waste. It is made from a compound of industrial waste from lumber factories and industrial plastic plants – 75% waste polypropylene and 15% reclaimed wood that usually ends up in the trash. It checks all the boxes for sustainable furniture with its three-fold environmental impact – less energy, less waste, and less carbon. “With the Broom chair, it is about less and more. We chose less – less “style”, less “design”, less material, less waste, less energy. And so, the Broom chair became so much more” says Starck when talking about the design process to make a chair that does more than being a surface to sit on.

The Broom comes in 6 colors, can be stacked easily, perfect for outdoor use and very low maintenance (honestly, just clean with soapy water and wipe with a soft cloth).  The wood particles create a speckled texture that gives the surface a warmer, more natural touch, each chair will have its own unique textured pattern. Wood is good, polypropylene is not so good, but the combination made from the two gives us a material that lasts like synthetic but has the spirit of nature. This is sourced from woodshops and plastic producing worksites, it is then cleaned, compressed and transformed into a wood composite that works for the environment instead of harming it.

“Imagine”, says Philippe Starck, “a guy who takes a humble broom and starts to clean the workshop and with this dust he makes new magic” and we bet JK Rowling will agree that brooms are truly magic.

Designer: Philippe Starck for Emeco.

Chair designs that will be the centerpiece of your space

You must have heard of the basic human needs – food clothing and shelter? Well, one of the basic needs of every shelter is a chair! Available practically everywhere on the planet, the chair is one of the most versatile designs, ranging from the standard four legs, a design made up of hangers, to chairs that create an alcove to give you privacy… whatever your needs, we have a curated chair design to inspire you to innovate and create a chair that rocks the legs of every other chair design out there!

A half-wood and half bronze chair from the Bronze Age Collection by Frank Tjepkema of the Dutch studio Tjep 

The Capsule Chair/Sofa set is the perfect seating for someone who doesn’t want to make idle chit-chat and just wants to be by Kateryna Sokolova for PALAU 

TS4, the timeless Cantilever Chair by Andrea Citton for Luxy 

The Dancing Chair brings to life movement that looks so surreal, it makes you wonder if it is a digital render by Nicholas Gardner & Saša Štucin of Soft Baroque 

The pop-art inspired Coat Check Chair is truly an avant-garde representation of today’s wardrobe and is a winner of multiple design awards, including the coveted IDEA award and the Spark award by Joey Zeledón 

The O&D Circle Dining Chair is rooted in the eternal elegance of the circle by Overgaard & Dyrman 

The Pocket Chair comes with a leather pocket built right into the side of the chair that can be used for either storing tools and equipment by Kewey Loke 

The Cervo Chair by Antonio Pio Saracino 

Star Wars’ Imperial Tie Fighters inspired chairs by Kenneth Cobonpue 

The sophisticated 101 Chair by Helen Kontouris 
The iconic solid chair by Heinz Landes

Chair Designs that redefine your definition of a chair!

You must have heard of the basic human needs – food clothing and shelter? Well, one of the basic needs of every shelter is a chair! Available practically everywhere on the planet, the chair is one of the most versatile designs, ranging from the standard four legs, one seat design to chairs that have no legs at all, whatever your needs, we have a curated chair design to inspire you to innovate and create a chair that rocks the legs of every other chair design out there!

‘Lost in Sofa’ armchair by Daisuke Motogi Design And Architecture

Filicudi chair by Marcantonio for Qeeboo

Babu Chair by TORU

V1 chair by ODESD2

Mochi Chair by Roberth Kwok

The Ombre Glass Collection by Germans Ermičs

LP10 Plateau Chair by Lukas Peet for Division 12

The Wabi lounge by Guilherme Torres

Arch Chair designed by Martin Hirth

Chips Lounge Chair by Lucie Koldová