The effervescent collection consists of chairs, side tables, wall and handheld mirrors, and vases made using reclaimed plastic pellets bonded together with resin. Markel says that the ratio of recycled material to resin is currently about 70%, but that she hopes to take that number even higher soon.
“I’ve always made things, but I studied public policy, specifically relating to the environment, so I’m really interested in making things in the most responsible way,” the designer told Inhabitat. “If I’m going to put new things into the world, I want them to be made of mostly reused material.”
The plastics that make up the pellets come from a variety of sources from beverage bottles to lunch trays to eyeglasses. The unique makeup of the pellet/resin mixture gives the finished pieces a perfectly imperfect, organic form.
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But coming up with the right blend of materials wasn’t as easy as grinding up a bunch of bottles and mixing them with resin. Markel explains that figuring out the perfect ratio of ingredients for the Glow collection took almost a year and required a lot of experimenting.
“The design of the form and material happened together–they both informed the other,” she said. “I tried to make a form that complemented the material, and a material that would help the shapes of everyday objects look more interesting.”
The Glow collection is available via the Kim Markel webshop, and starts at $120.
