In a world obsessed with what's new, these 10 designers are proving that value lies in what’s been discarded. Their work doesn’t just recycle — it reinvents. From crisp packets to construction rubble, each creator is giving forgotten materials a second act through thoughtful, expressive design.
Welcome to our second edition of MatterMinds — this time focused on circularity. Here, waste becomes a resource, repair becomes beauty, and the materials we once ignored are now centre stage.
1. Agne Kucerenkaite — Waste Ceramics into Pigment
Agne uses industrial waste—like contaminated metals and sludge—to colour ceramics, turning harmful by-products into vibrant design surfaces.
What Tocco loves: The alchemy of toxicity into beauty: she proves waste isn't inert, but full of possibility.
2. Studio8 / Matterpieces — Upcycled Construction Waste
Studio8’s Matterpieces salvage concrete and demolition debris to craft furniture and architectural installation elements.
What Tocco loves: Their work shapes an aesthetic of recovery—beauty that wears its waste identity proudly.
3. Chryssa Kotoula — Ceramic Art from Reclaimed Studio Waste
Chryssa transforms leftover clay, glazes, and kiln shards into ceramics that interrogate the idea of “studio waste.”
What Tocco loves: She elevates the micro-scale: even the smallest remnant carries potential for craft and narrative.
4. Granulous — Brewery Waste into Sculpture
Granulous uses spent grain and yeast from breweries to create bio-resin sculptures—material with a story, and a scent.
What Tocco loves: They prove circularity can be sensory: tactile, aromatic, and culturally resonant.
5. Shahar Livne — Conceptual Waste‑Based Materials
Livne’s research-driven works reflect on human waste—from packaging to e-waste—via sculptural prototypes.
What Tocco loves: She reframes waste as concept: each piece is thinking, not just material.
6. Sofia Venetucci — Rope and Wood into Sculptural Tables
Sofia Venetucci reclaims nautical rope and discarded wood to handcraft sculptural furniture rooted in cultural memory and tactile storytelling.
What Tocco loves: She transforms utility into expression — design that’s as deliberate as it is layered.
7. Alara Sipahioglu — Crisp Packet Upcycling
Alara reuses chip and snack wrappers, transforming plastic-wrapped ephemera into woven pouches and art objects.
What Tocco loves: She elevates throwaway culture into high craft, making ephemera essential again.
8. Cynthia Chou — Degradable Art from Waste
Cynthia crafts sculptures and installations using compostable waste, exploring ecology, memory, and material degradation.
What Tocco loves: Her work reminds us that decay can be design—temporal, poetic, regenerative.
9. Nujou — Upcycled Leather
Nujou reclaims leather off-cuts to craft bags and accessories that speak to both heritage and sustainability.
What Tocco loves: They honour craft traditions while redirecting waste away from landfills.
10. Studio Sospeso — Olive Wood Fragments into Hardware
Studio Sospeso salvages olive wood remnants to create custom handles and fittings—functional design from forgotten fragments.
What Tocco loves: Their pieces are modest but potent: design that starts small, finishes strong.
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Join the League.
What’s driving material decisions behind the scenes? Beyond the showrooms and strategy decks, Tocco believes the future is being shaped by those who touch the materials themselves—and those who dare to rethink them.
That’s why we created UNBOX: the world’s first portable material library for these pioneers. It’s our tactile research tool disguised as a product—a curated selection of next-gen materials from the world’s most promising innovators, packed into a portable format for designers, educators, and creators.
Check out UNBOX project here.
