Design Academy Eindhoven graduate Lina Chi has created a collection of curvaceous furniture pieces made from single sheets of linoleum to help reinvent the material.
Named Linoleum, the collection includes a bench, a low table and two stools that were designed to show how linoleum, which is typically used as flooring, can also be used to create furniture.
Linoleum is a biodegradable material made from a combination of biomaterials including cork, wood dust and limestone, which are mixed with linseed oil and applied to a jute fabric backing.
The Linoleum furniture collection includes tables and seating
According to Chi, the biomaterial is often misconstrued as being made from plastic, likely because of PVC surfaces that have a similar appearance. Her Linoleum furniture collection aims to maintain a sense of material familiarity while demonstrating how linoleum can be reinterpreted in different ways.
"It's a rebranding because it's an existing material and I wanted to show it in a new light, but to me, it's also a heritage, something we had in the 1970s," Chi told Dezeen. "If we use it again today in 2022, what does that look like""
The curved shapes are formed by hand
"It's been around me forever ? in schools, hospitals, kitchens ? and those were such strong memories because of its visual qualities and also because of the smell and touch," the designer continued.
"It's so specific of a period of time that for me it was a perfect materi...