Swedish designer Svea Tisell has developed a series of modular, self-supporting furniture pieces using shoe laces, offering an innovative approach to circular design and material reuse. The project, titled Kryss, demonstrates how discarded materials can be transformed into functional, sculptural objects with minimal structural intervention.

Upcycling shoe laces into furniture
Tisell’s Kryss collection consists of seats, shelving units, and sculptural forms, all crafted from colourful, 12 mm thick shoe laces. The distinctive texture of the pieces results from a meticulous hand-weaving technique in which the laces are tightly looped and knotted without the use of adhesives, frames, or substructures. This makes the material itself entirely self-supporting. Thanks to the inherent strength and flexibility of laces, the woven structures maintain their shape while offering a tactile, soft surface. The modular character of the furniture allows it to be easily adjusted, reshaped, or even disassembled and reassembled, promoting a long lifecycle and material circularity.

Flexible forms and playful aesthetics
Tisell experimented with various structural possibilities, ultimately creating both compact and voluminous forms that can function as seating, shelving, or sculptural elements. The designs embrace the physical properties of the material—its durability, elasticity, and vibrant colour palette—while eliminating the need for additional hardware or binding agents.

Future applications
The current pieces are made from shoe laces, but potentially, reclaimed climbing ropes could be used. These ropes, no longer safe for climbing due to wear and tear, could have a second life in the form of robust, adaptable furniture. Climbing ropes are typically made from high-quality polyamide (nylon) fibres, which are difficult to recycle mechanically due to their complex construction. By upcycling the ropes without breaking them down into raw material, the furniture could preserve the energy and craftsmanship embedded in their production, reducing the environmental impact of textile waste.

Rethinking waste as resource
The designer envisions these objects not only as furniture but also as a conversation starter about material waste, overproduction, and alternative forms of value creation. By giving a second life to an overlooked material like climbing rope as potential resource, the project encourages designers to reconsider the potential of discarded resources in contemporary design.

Source: Designboom
Photos: Svea Tisell