Cover From creating objets d’art to actual buildings, the application of sustainable materials is something we are always cheering on
From creating objets d’art to actual buildings, the application of sustainable materials is something we are always cheering on
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What if waste were the beginning of design rather than the end of a lifecycle? These creatives continue to prove that discarded and unconventional materials can be reborn as sustainable objects of beauty and functionality
Over the years, many design studios have tried their hand at experimenting with a myriad of sustainable materials, from tried-and-true staples such as rattan and vines to unusual choices including bacteria-grown cellulose and cow dung. While tracking these trends and material developments, we’ve noticed an uptick in the designers choosing to use mycelium and fungi in their works, which often have a tantalising organic feel. But that is just one material out of many. From creating objets d’art to actual buildings, the application of sustainable materials is something that still amazes us each day, and an exciting trend we will continue to keep an eye on.
Ahead, we look at some notable furniture and home decor items currently available from a curated selection of designers.
In case you missed it: From mycelium floors to fruit peel lamps: The sustainable materials shaping eco-friendly design
Cowka
Above Cowka’s playful Bamboo lamps, which will be launching in May
Cowka’s playful Bamboo lamps, which will be launching in May
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Based in Indonesia, Cowka transforms cow dung into functional, eye-catching furniture. In May, the brand will launch the Bamboo lamp, a playful piece that seems to peer at whatever it lights. It joins Cowka’s existing offerings, including the udder-shaped Muu pot. The brand is also collaborating with Indonesian manufacturer Silcane to create a durable composite from cow dung and plastic furniture waste, including off-cuts, fragments, and rejects.
Natural Urbano
Above Natural Urbano’s Lapso lamp, pictured in a modern living room
Natural Urbano’s Lapso lamp, pictured in a modern living room
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Designed as a collaboration between design studio Natural Urbano and biomaterials company Polybion, Lapso is a sculptural lamp hand-crafted from five sheets of Celium, a cultivated bacterial cellulose. Each translucent piece is unique, its textures, tones and patterns shaped by living material, making every lamp a collectible. Designed to shift with light and context, Lapso transforms illumination into a dynamic presence. Available in two colours—Natural and Humo—each lamp ships with a certificate of authenticity.
Bell Living Lab
Above The Espresso chair by Bell Living Lab, made with C-Foam
Above The Mudra side table is also made with C-Foam, a cork-like material transformed from coffee waste
The Espresso chair by Bell Living Lab, made with C-Foam
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Based in Indonesia, Bell Living Lab transforms coffee waste and other organic by-products into materials for fashion, furniture, and interiors. Collaborating with three coffee farming communities and over 60 coffee shops in Bandung, the lab processes more than 300 tonnes of coffee waste annually.
Above A collection of furniture, crafted from agricultural waste, made by Bell Living Lab
A collection of furniture, crafted from agricultural waste, made by Bell Living Lab
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Its three materials—M-Tex, a leather-like material from fermented coffee skin; Kalpa, a board of coffee husks, grounds, and plant fibres; and C-foam, a cork-like composite—have been used in furniture such as Espresso chairs, the Mudra side table, and the Natura sideboard.
Bewilder
Above Ng Sze Kiat, founder of Bewilder
Ng Sze Kiat, founder of Bewilder
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Founded by Ng Sze Kiat, Bewilder is Singapore’s pioneering mycological atelier, turning organic by-products into sustainable creations including edible arrangements, jewellery, and furniture. While focusing on lingzhi mushrooms, the team has cultivated over 40 species and aims to use more local varieties.
Above Reliks table lamps by Bewilder
Above A close-up shot of the Mycosmos pendant lamp by Bewilder
Reliks table lamps by Bewilder
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Recent custom pieces include two mycelium coffee tables: Invertable, which “stands on its own lingzhi feet”, and Emerge, with a lingzhi supporting a crystal tabletop. The studio also creates pendant lamps, table lamps, and fungariums for owners to grow their own lingzhi at home.
Don’t miss: Inside Bewilder: Singapore’s mushroom farm turning fungi into design
Caracara Collective
Above Caracara Collective’s Lakki lamp combines fungi with traditional woodworking and modern laser-cutting technology
Above A close-up of the mushrooms blooming from the Lakki lamp
Caracara Collective’s Lakki lamp combines fungi with traditional woodworking and modern laser-cutting technology
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Caracara Collective is a Finnish experimental design studio working with biomaterials and biowaste. Its Reclaim lampshades began with discarded orange peel and pine needles, later incorporating spent tea leaves from Nari Tea Lab in Helsinki, grown by the owner’s tea farmer friends across China, Japan and Korea.
The striking Lakki family of floor and pendant lighting blends fungi, traditional woodworking, and laser-cutting. Wood shavings from creating the lamp structure feed mushrooms, which grow the lampshade, ensuring nothing goes to waste.
Sophia Chin
Above Sophia Chin’s Incinerated Ware transforms Singapore’s incinerator by-products into functional ceramics
Sophia Chin’s Incinerated Ware transforms Singapore’s incinerator by-products into functional ceramics
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Sophia Chin’s Incinerated Ware transforms Singapore’s incinerator by-products into functional ceramics. Using bottom and fly ash, which is hazardous in its raw form, she creates glazes that colour and finish dining ware, turning industrial waste into everyday objects. Originating as Chin’s final-year thesis and exhibited at Emerge @ Find 2025, the project reflects on consumption, materiality, and Singapore’s urban identity, showing that even waste can be reimagined with craft and care.
In case you missed it: 10 brands and designers that stole the show at Find – Design Fair Asia 2025
Goy Architects
Above Goy Architects created a coffee leather chair prototype for one of their clients
Above A closer look at the coffee leather chair prototype by Goy Architects
Goy Architects created a coffee leather chair prototype for one of their clients
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Besides building beautiful homes, Goy Zhenru of Goy Architects also likes to experiment with interesting sustainable materials in her projects. One notable recent creation is a custom chair made with coffee leather, sourced from Bell Living Lab, for her client. Working with a local metal craftsman, Goy created a chair frame that can be dressed up with a fabric sleeve—coffee leather or otherwise—and easily wiped down and maintained.
Panelogue
Above Stelapop transforms textile waste into solid panels using a water-free, dye-free process, combining 70 per cent recycled fibres with a bio-based binder
Stelapop transforms textile waste into solid panels using a water-free, dye-free process, combining 70 per cent recycled fibres with a bio-based binder
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Homegrown design studio Panelogue specialises in natural surface materials, which includes interesting creations such as Stelapop. The material transforms textile waste into solid panels using a water-free, dye-free process, combining 70 per cent recycled fibres with a bio-based binder.
Above Panelogue specialises in natural surface materials, which includes interesting creations such as Stelapop
Panelogue specialises in natural surface materials, which includes interesting creations such as Stelapop
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Durable, recyclable, and versatile for furniture and interiors, Stelapop enables architects and designers to craft spaces where style, functionality, and sustainability coexist, proving that circular design can be both beautiful and purposeful.
Low Carbon Industrial
Above Elenite by Low Carbon Industrial is a versatile material that can be used for kitchens, furniture and interior applications
Elenite by Low Carbon Industrial is a versatile material that can be used for kitchens, furniture and interior applications
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UK-based materials company Low Carbon Industrial recently introduced Elenite, a solid surface developed from post-industrial waste and natural by-products such as walnut shell, walnut dust, and bamboo fibre. Designed for kitchens, furniture and interior applications, the durable material delivers a rich, warm matte finish while cutting embedded carbon by 29 per cent. In Singapore, Elenite is available via Panelogue.
Yothaka
Above Yothaka is a Thai furniture brand that utilises materials such as yan lipai (a type of fern vine) and water hyacinth to create rattan weaves
Yothaka is a Thai furniture brand that utilises materials such as yan lipai (a type of fern vine) and water hyacinth to create rattan weaves
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Yothaka is a Thai furniture brand founded by designer Suwan Kongkhunthian, celebrated for elevating traditional craftsmanship through contemporary design. Using materials such as yan lipai (a type of fern vine) and water hyacinth to create rattan weaves, its pieces blend heritage and artistry with sustainability.
The brand was an early adopter of pineapple fibre, introducing its use in furniture pieces such as the Nut Bench as early as 2008. Yothaka recently launched a new collection at Maison&Objet 2026, revealing five armchairs inspired by traditional Thai forms with rattan finishes coloured with natural plant-based dyes.
Based in Singapore, Engracia Ang is an experienced writer specialising in home and living content.
