Japanese studio Nendo has created a collection of stackable chairs from recycled household plastics, which take design cues from a folded sheet of paper.
Designed for Danish furniture brand Republic of Fritz Hansen, the shell of the N02 Recycle chair is made from recycled polypropylene.
The chair is Fritz Hansen's first move towards creating a chair for the circular economy, as it is made from recycled plastic and can be recycled again at the end of its life.
The plastic used for the chairs comes from household waste that has been collected, processed and reformed  in central Europe.
Discarded products such as food packaging and plastic bottles were ground into plastic pellets and melted down to form the chair's seat. This process could in theory, be repeated again and again using an array of plastic objects.
"The fact that the material is constructed from everyday recycled plastic creates an extra connection between the user and the chair," said Nendo founder Oki Sato.
"It's an accessible design made for everyday use and made from everyday recycled, household plastics," he added.
The the standard chair's legs are made from powder coated steel, while the sledge base is made from 50 per cent recycled chromed steel and the base of the swivel chair is made from polished aluminium that is 95 per cent recycled.
Sturdy and stackable, the seats are true to Nendo's minimal design character, and took their shape from a simple fold down the middle of a piece of paper found on Sato's work table.
This fold was translated into a crease in the chair's shell designed to support the sitter's upper and lower back.
"We wanted to do a versatile, plastic, stacking chair in recycled materials," said Christian Andresen, head of design at Fritz Hansen.
"Collaborating with studio Nendo meant the design would be simple and elegant, a really nice blend of Scandinavian and Japanese aesthetics," he added.
The characteristic minimalism of both Scandanavian and Japanese design come together in seven shell colour options, which each take cues from the earthy, warm tones found in Nordic nature.
These colours include dark orange, dark red, dark blue, light blue, grey, black and off-white.
Available in stores in November 2019, the N02 Recycle chair is also being launched in three different base formats – four-legged, sledge and swivel bases.
According to Fritz Hansen, these different colour and leg options grant the chair more versatility, suited to a range of environments such as dining rooms, home offices or meeting rooms.
The Danish furniture brand recently opened its biggest ever showroom designed by Jaime Hayon in Xi'an, China, featuring "temple-like" interiors with high ceilings and vaulted walkways.
The 1,000-square-metre store is Fritz Hansen's first in the country, and is part of its ambition to become "the biggest Danish brand in China".
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