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"Briket": A piece of furniture full of surprises

4/3/2025

Translation: machine translated

The "Briket" stool impresses with its clever combination of design and sustainability. But what unusual materials is it made of? Take a guess and find out what's behind this piece of furniture.

More and more designers are dedicating themselves to material research and are focussing on creative recycling and upcycling approaches. The "Briket" stool by Renaud Defrancesco is a prime example of how supposed waste can be turned into something new and useful. But what exactly is being recycled here?

Here we go

The pair of materials we are looking for consists of an everyday kitchen product and a common industrial waste. One component is a staple food that is regularly served in many households and is valued for its versatility. The other is a by-product of wood processing that is often seen as waste but actually has many uses. Together, they form a stable, biodegradable material that can be sourced locally.

What material combination and innovative idea is behind Briket?
Source: Pia Seidel

Riddle

Which two materials were combined for the Briket stool? Are they:

Maize and wood shavings
37%
Potatoes and sawdust
56%
Rice and coconut fibres
7%

The competition has ended.

Resolution

The "Briket" is a modular stool inspired by wood pellets used for heating. The legs can be removed individually and used as fuel if the stool is no longer needed at some point. Defrancesco demonstrates how easy it is to recycle wood waste in a meaningful way.

The highlight: wood waste is pressed with potatoes (!) during production. The potatoes act as a natural adhesive and give the material robustness, making it easy to sit on - without any chemical additives. "With our recipe and the right drying time, the stool doesn't go mouldy," says Defrancesco.

The exhibition at the House of Switzerland, organised by ProHelvetia, showed how important wood is in the modern world.
Source: Pia Seidel

Renaud Defrancesco wants to show sustainable solutions for the production of objects.
Source: Pia Seidel

Briket is intended to be an eye-opener on how resources can be used cleverly. — Renaud Defrancesco wants to show sustainable solutions for the production of objects.
Source: Pia Seidel

The designer explains that the stool could be produced directly where a lot of wood waste is generated, for example in sawmills or joineries. "A study shows that in Switzerland, a particularly large number of potatoes are thrown away before they reach the supermarket because they are not beautiful or do not meet the standard. 'Briket' uses these waste potatoes."

Potatoes are used as a binding agent in the production of briquettes
Source: Pia Seidel

Sawdust is the main component of the stool. — Potatoes are used as a binding agent in the production of briquettes
Source: Pia Seidel

The "Briket" stool, first presented at the "Salone del Mobile" in Milan, is one of the latest discoveries in terms of sustainability and design. Presented by the Geneva gallery NOV at its "Out of the Woodworks" exhibition, the piece of furniture shows how wood waste can be recycled in a smart way.

Header image: Pia Seidel

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Pia Seidel

Senior Editor

Pia.Seidel@digitecgalaxus.ch

Like a cheerleader, I love celebrating good design and bringing you closer to everything furniture- and interior design- related. I regularly curate simple yet sophisticated interior ideas, report on trends and interview creative minds about their work.

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