Designer Tobias Gerstgrasser has created a stool made entirely from coffee grounds and natural binders. The piece is part of his research project Coffee Grounds as a Basis for Bio-Based Furniture, which explores how coffee waste can become a sustainable material for design.

From Café Waste to Solid Form

For this project, Gerstgrasser collected used coffee grounds from local cafés. After drying them, he mixed the material with different biobased binders to test its strength and appearance. Through this process, he developed a range of samples that could be used for solid furniture components. The final prototype—a stool—shows how waste can be transformed into a functional, durable, and attractive product.

Designed for Circularity

The coffee-based biocomposite is 100% biobased and biodegradable. When exposed to rain or placed in compost, it breaks down naturally and returns to the soil. Because of this, the material fits perfectly into a circular design model. It leaves no harmful residues and eliminates the need for synthetic binders, making it a clean alternative for designers who value environmental responsibility.

Potential for Interior and Product Design

The stool highlights the aesthetic potential of this new material. The natural texture and rich colour of the coffee grounds give it a distinctive organic look. For interior and product designers, this innovation offers a renewable substitute for plastics, MDF, or resin-based composites. With increasing demand for circular materials, coffee-based biocomposites could soon find a place in sustainable furniture and interior collections.

By transforming waste into a design resource, Gerstgrasser shows that sustainability and creativity can go hand in hand. His research invites designers to explore new bio-based materials that not only perform well but also contribute to a regenerative future.

Source & photos: Tobias Gerstgrasser