Turning milk bottles to furniture; the Moo Table proves that recycled plastic can be stylish.
The project was a problem solving design task, where the aim was to create a piece of furniture using repurposed recycled material and only dowel rods (plus fixings, screws or pegs).
The HDPE side table design (Moo Table) was created to be used for a large range of users, due to the nature of the design.
The purpose of this project was to focus on sustainability, repurposing recycled materials to create high end looking furniture design.
I tackled the brief by researching possible recycled materials to use, determining which would be most suitable. Once I determined the desired recycled material (HDPE plastic from milk bottles), I researched heavily into the properties and how it can be reused and repurposed. Through a process of trial and error, I was able to create usable HDPE plastic block material, with enough structural integrity to be machined in the ways I needed it to be. The aim for this piece was to create a more high end design, that transformed the original material source completely.
The project made an impact, it was extremely interesting to see a wide range of designs repurposing vastly different recycled materials to create new designs. This project was used to advertise the course and unit within the uni, showing the true creativity that the project generated. My design was featured as one of a select few designs in a pop up exhibition “Material Subjects” at the Adytum library located in Braddon, Canberra (2020). This design again was featured in an “Emerging Contemporaries” exhibition at Craft + Design Canberra (2022).