Innovation That Matters

A bench from the BSP collection | Photo source Donghoon Sohn

Sustainable furniture series inspired by the classic BLT sandwich

Architecture & Design

A new collection by South Korean designer Donghoon Sohn uses sustainable materials to create colourful, sandwich-themed furniture

Spotted: The BSP collection, which stands for byproduct, solvent and plastic, includes a chair, bench and side table, all of which mimic the BLT sandwich. 

White virgin plastic slabs, which are melded together with acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS plastic) offcuts, act as the bread, and brightly coloured recycled binder sits in between, melting out from the cracks to mimic the sandwich filling. This filler is also made out of the recycled ABS plastic because, as Sohn explains, “ABS is a popular material for 3D printing and CNC milling because it is easy to dye and process”. 

Moreover, as a lot of plastic waste in the form of flakes and small parts is created by the melding of the slabs, “these flakes or small parts from failed prints are easy to dissolve in a little amount of solvent due to how large their surface area is relative to their volume.” This means that there is no use for unsustainable materials such as glue and resin in the process, ensuring that the pieces can be recycled after they have been used. 

After five minutes in ethanol, the pieces dissolve and are ready to mix with coloured powders for the filling. The ethanol is then evaporated and ready to reuse. “While the melted plastic solidifies, I apply a virgin plastic plate from each side to create the look of melted cheese,” says Sohn.

The style of the collection could be called Cubist, and each piece of furniture is handcrafted and colourful, always making use of mass-produced materials. Sohn hopes that by the time his furniture comes to the end of its life, we will be living in a post-plastic world where the pieces will represent a previous era.

Written By: Holly Hamilton

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Email: sohn.seoul@gmail.com

Website: sohn.work