PriestmanGoode reveals circular design furniture project Knot Waste

The system aims to repurpose waste material and provide simple instructions for an easy build.

By Henry Wong

July 8, 2022
4:19 pm

July 8, 2022
4:19 pm

London-based design consultancy PriestmanGoode has revealed its Knot Waste furniture project, an attempt to engage the public with circular design principles.

The idea behind Knot Waste is to use a single sheet of waste material to craft a bespoke item of furniture, held together by rope.

The studio has created a set of instructions for the design process; the items required are a sheet of waste timber, rope and a handsaw. The instruction template is scalable, meaning that you can adjust the table size according to your own requirements.

PriestmanGoode designer Luke Hannon explains that the team was inspired to come up with a modular system which would result in a bespoke piece of furniture, with a “consistent assembly process”. “If you wanted to build a large table using a standard plywood sheet size and waste rope, you could also adapt that same method to build a smaller coffee table or stool,” he says.

The emphasis is on a simple build. “Complex joints” which would require specialist techniques have been avoided and the table is held together for everyday use by rope, explains the design team. The minimal materials required not only mean that assembly is simplified, it should also result in no further waste generation, according to the team.

The self-build process is supposed to encourage people the value in waste materials. Hannon says that it “allows the user to become actively involved in sourcing, designing, creating and building their own piece of furniture from start to finish”. Hannan adds: “The result is a sustainable, bespoke piece that is completely customised to the user’s needs.”

The assembly process requires minimal woodworking and joinery skills, according to the PriestmanGoode team. You can download the instructions on the studio’s website, which includes a guide to tying knots.

The range is making its debut at Jersey-based exhibition Skipton Big Ideas: Where Waste Meets Design. The show, where artists and designers are considering how to make better use of waste, is open now and runs until 31 July.

PriestmanGoode has previously explored the topic of waste in relation to the aviation industry in an exhibition at the Design Museum in London.