To most folks, used coffee grounds aren’t particularly useful — but a couple of British designers figured out a way to turn those old grounds into new furniture. That’s right, you can now you can rest your cappuccino on a table made of (mostly) recycled coffee grounds. Re-worked, a non-profit design company that specializes in green technology, recently unveiled a product called Çurface (pronounced “surface”), which is a composite board made of used coffee grounds and recycled waste plastics — a perfect illustration of upcycling. The material is water-proof, scratch-proof, and it’s malleable enough to be used in a variety of functions.
The Re-worked website describes Çurface as “a very high quality tactile finish reminiscent of a combination of chocolate, leather and stone.” So far, the material has been used to make a couple of different types of chairs, bar stools and coffee tables. Adam Fairweather, the founder of Re-worked, has been brewing up different uses for recycled coffee grounds for the past couple of years, but it looks like he’s perfected the recipe with his latest designs. Previously, Fairweather used coffee waste to create a garden fertilizer that repels slugs, as well as coffee cups made of recycled coffee.
The Re-worked team is currently working on opening a showroom in London, and they’ve already produced a bunch of prototypes. At least one coffee shop has commissioned the furniture (what could be more appropriate than sipping coffee on a chair made of coffee?), and the Çurface website welcomes commissions.
+ Çurface
+ Re-Worked
Via DesignTAXI
All Photos © Re-Worked
