In order to offer an alternative to the use of plastic, as well as to use waste material, Slovakian designer Šimon Kern designed a chair with a seat and back made from fallen leaves and bio resin, called Beleaf.
The aim of the chair is to make the most of natural waste, and combines dead leaves with bioresin, made from leftover cooking oil, making it completely biodegradable. The material is pressed into a mould and once it is set, it is sanded down and attached to the framework.
The seat of the chair rests on a skeleton of steel tubes, which allow for many curves in the framework. The frame is designed to last, like a tree, while the seat can be replaced when broken.
Each year in autumn, broadleaved trees let their leaves fall, serving as fertiliser for the next year, so that new leaves can grow. The Beleaf chair postpones this process as long as the seat is being used. After that, it can serve as food for a tree, as it is completely biodegradable, which will then make new leaves, for a new chair.
Kern is still perfecting the process, designing more ergonomic versions of the seat.
Photos: Šimon Kern