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 needed 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 given by first of all, researching possible recycled materials to use, determining which to use by what was most suitable to create the desired furniture product from. Once I determined the desired recycled material, which was HDPE plastic from milk bottles, I researched heavily into the properties of the plastic 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, to create a side table furniture design from it. 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 side table design was featured as one of a select few designs from the project in a pop up exhibition at the Adytum library located in Braddon, Canberra. This exhibition was open for the public to showcase the diverse ways in which innovative design can recycle and repurpose with a focus on sustainability.
