Spent Coffee Grounds Become a Composite Material for Furniture

Belgian design collective Atelier Haute Cuisine has developed FLTR, a stool that combines a composite made from spent coffee grounds and resin with a stainless steel structure. Presented at Curated in Brussels in September 2026, the project explores how an everyday residue can become a material for functional furniture.

From Coffee Residue to Composite

The first stools use spent coffee grounds collected in Atelier Haute Cuisine’s own studio. The team began saving the grounds around a year before the launch, gradually gathering material from its daily coffee consumption.

After drying, the grounds become part of a resin composite that preserves their familiar colour and texture. This gives the material a visible connection to its origin, moving coffee residue from a short-lived brewing process into an object intended for everyday use.

A Sculptural Stool for Everyday Use

FLTR pairs the coffee composite with stainless steel, bringing two materials with distinct visual qualities into one design. The stool measures 345 × 430 mm and weighs 15 kg.

Beyond its function as seating, the design connects the finished object with the routine that supplied its material. Coffee breaks, morning rituals and conversations provide the conceptual starting point for transforming a temporary experience into a lasting physical object.

Personal Collections of Coffee Grounds

As a next step, Atelier Haute Cuisine plans to invite people to supply their own spent coffee grounds, which the studio could turn into a stool for them. This proposed approach would connect each piece with its owner’s habits and material contribution.

The Belgian collective works across art, design and light, creating sculptural objects, functional designs and installations. FLTR extends this practice through an exploration of material reuse and everyday experience.

Source: Atelier Haute Cuisine
Photos: Benny Conings