Kintsugi literally means “repairing with gold”. It is an ancient Japanese practice and technique that consists in repairing ceramic objects by using gold for welding cracks and fragments, not hiding them but highlighting them. It is an example of how the imperfections of an object can be transformed in something unique and beautiful. You may be wondering which is the connection between this and the chairs. Well, let’s discover it together.
Throwing away in a responsible way
In a day, we throw away many different things. Let’s try to imagine which is the last object we threw away and why we did it. Let’s try to evaluate if it really deserved to be thrown in the bin or if, after all, it could have become something else or if it could have been fixed and refurbished in order to be reused.
The answers could leave us indifferent or surprise us. We want to start from here and take an even more detailed step by accompanying you into the world of chair refitting.
R for Refitting: from Concepts by Braida’s FUTURE protocol
Refit is an English term that literally means making something ready to be reused by repairing it, by re-equipping it and/or by restocking it and it refers to one of the most important activities in a shipyard.
But we will lead you to know refit from our point of view, that is to say the chairs’ point of view. The refitting operations to be made on chairs can be of various types and range from small repairs to the complete restoration.
The aim is the same in both cases: reducing waste and promoting reuse and restoration of existing products and materials. Chairs, in fact, are often destined to disposal because they are worn out or no longer in fashion. Refitting interventions make it possible to avoid all this.
Chair refit
Some of the most common practices in the refitting of a chair are the re-upholstery of the shells and/or seats and the replacement of damaged or worn components, even individually.
Armrests, legs, frames… after a careful evaluation of the quality and strength of the various elements and materials, we can proceed with the replacement and refurbishment in order to give the chairs a second life.
“RefittiAmo” la scuola, let’s refit the school
Some time ago we took care of the refitting of some worn chairs at a high school in the province of Udine. Hence, the beginning of “RefittiaMo la scuola”, a chair refitting service for schools, which we want to continue and spread as much as possible.
The goal is to promote a circular economy model based on recycle and reuse, combining experience, knowledge and tradition towards a more sustainable and shared future.
Among the benefits, there is undoubtedly a saving in the costs of maintenance and purchase of furniture for schools, but above all there is education and attention to the environment.
In fact, we will talk about sustainability by addressing students and teachers through the documentation of the various steps for the refurbishment of the furnishings and the examination of the various processing phases.
The project Furniture For Future
Environmental sustainability and new emerging technologies make it possible to rethink the design and business model of Italian companies.
Let’s try to imagine a chair designed and made in Italy with safe and eco-sustainable materials such as FSC wood, recycled iron and fabrics that are also recycled or of natural origin. Let’s imagine that a leg of this chair breaks. Instead of throwing it away, we can try to fix it and reuse it.
Thanks to 3D printing it is in fact possible to recreate a new leg identical to the broken one in order to replace it. Or, we can take the opportunity to give vent to creativity, deciding to recreate the broken leg so that it is different from the others, thus making it unique.
Our Furniture For Future project starts right here: the idea of conceiving a product with eco-design logics and giving a new face to Made in Italy. In order to reduce the environmental impact given by the disposal of bulky materials, it is essential, in fact, to design a chair or a piece of furniture that is easy to disassemble into the main materials so that it can be re-upholstered and refurbished.
It is true that in words everything is beautiful, but what if we told you that our project has become reality? During the Fuorisalone 2022, more precisely at the Simone Micheli’s Hotel Regeneration Hybrid Restaurant event, we will present a preview of the Triple F. The first chair designed and conceived from the Furniture For Future perspective and designed for us by the architect Simone Micheli.
Click here in order to take part to the event.
Refit: chair creativity at your fingertips
As the art of kintsugi teaches us, instead of hiding the defects, we must try to enhance them. This is the beauty of imperfection: it is always different and absolutely unpredictable. It also teaches us to transform something into something else.
Defects are therefore a second chance: fragments that become works of art, one of a kind. Taking inspiration from this, refitting acquires a new value.
A second life, a work of art, a unique piece, many recyclable components combined to create a prototype… these and many others are just a few examples of reuse in the world of chairs.
Whether we are talking about a broken ceramic cup or a three-legged chair, perhaps even wobbly, it is essential to keep in mind that throwing away is not always the only solution. We will be surprised to discover how useful some objects can still prove to be, if only we let our imagination and creativity flow.
Contact us to find out more.
