Mat Chair
Designed by:
Foersom J
Co-Designed by:
Hiort-Lorenzen P
Designer:
Johannes Foersom
Co-Designer:
Peter Hiort-Lorenzen
Country of Origin (Designer):
Denmark
Date of Design:
2023
Date of Manufacture:
2024
Decade:
2020s
Region:
Scandinavia
Significance:
Hemp straw and eelgrass used to make the shells for these chairs
Manufacturer:
Norman Copenhagen
Country of Origin (Manufacturer):
Denmark
Material:
Natural fibres
Process:
Pressure moulded
Monobloc:
No
Cantilever:
No
Renewable Carbon:
Yes
ERPR Score:
5
ERPR Rating:
Below Average
Weight:
4.6
Note:
Following 20 years of exploration with hemp, designers Johannes Foersom & Peter Hiort-Lorenzen teamed up with manufacturer Norman Copenhagen to develop seat shells using hemp straw (a waste product) and another variant offering a different colour choice due to the addition of eelgrass. The aesthetic appeal is enhanced through hand-sanding and the use of linseed oil. Chairs can be recycled at the end of life despite the use of a binder made from PE and PP. Despite winning multiple sustainability related awards, a low score has been calculated in my comparison of designs aimed to reduce their environmental impacts. The legs of the Mat Chair are made from virgin steel and the use of a non-bio-binder means the shells can only be recycled separately from standard waste streams – in fact they need to be returned to the manufacturer to be recycled which can be expected to be both economically and environmentally undesirable for most end users. The chair is nearly 20% heavier than average further impacting the score awarded to this design.
Image Credit:
Norman Copenhagen