Organico: Furniture made from hemp, casein and slaked lime

Designer Philipp Hainke designed a series of furniture called Organico made from a sandwich material, consisting of hemp fibres, casein and slaked lime.

The composite material includes calcium hydroxide, commonly known as slaked lime, which is obtained when calcium oxide (lime) is mixed (or slaked) with water. It also contains casein, which are proteins in milk and can be used to produce bioplastic. These two materials combined form an adhesive that keeps the hemp fibres and shives together. The binder can be coloured with natural pigments.

Through extensive research, the optimal composition and structure was found for a sandwich material with a cover of hemp fibre mat and a core of hemp shives that is both stable and lightweight. The sandwich structure allows for variation in thickness within one panel.

The furniture collection consists of chairs and partitioners. Elliptical shaped sheets of the hemp sandwich panel of equal size form the seat and back of the chair, as well as the partitioner, while the frames are made of rattan. The pieces come in green, blue and red.

The collection was presented during the Milan Design Week 2018.

Photos: Philipp Hainke