Sustainability and inclusion in the fashion world
Fátima Lopes
The path that will mark the future of furniture
Rita Costa
Founder of RIART - Atelier Rita Costa
The future of furniture is heading in a direction where existing materials are enhanced by new materials, and where reuse and recycling are creatively executed, resulting in bolder and more innovative forms.
We all know the enormous responsibility we have, as interior designers and architects, to be part of a process that will aim to rethink the existing materials we already use to make furniture, reworking them in innovative ways. For example, at theSalone del Mobile 2022 fair, several designers and architects explored alternative materials, responding to the drive to incorporate environmental awareness and sustainability into furniture production.We think part of the change lies in us, designers – who stand between the brands and manufacturers –, and in an initiative to work closer with researchers and material suppliers. In this way, together we can discover materials and ways to assemble that are more environmentally focused.
At RIART, we believe that design for assembly (DFA) will be part of the future of furniture. For manufacturers, it is proven and sustainable to design for easy assembly, because the direct result translates into fewer parts and faster production, which naturally lowers the carbon emissions of the operations.
Another path that will mark the future of furniture, especially commercial furniture, is for it to be realigned towards adaptability, recombination, continuity, ease of storage and healthy materials, as we have already seen at the last edition of the Milan fair.
In recent years we have witnessed the creation of several trajectories in the furniture world that share a common purpose: environmental and sustainable concern.
We all know the enormous responsibility we have, as interior designers and architects, to be part of a process that will aim to rethink the existing materials we already use to make furniture, reworking them in innovative ways. For example, at theSalone del Mobile 2022 fair, several designers and architects explored alternative materials, responding to the drive to incorporate environmental awareness and sustainability into furniture production.We think part of the change lies in us, designers – who stand between the brands and manufacturers –, and in an initiative to work closer with researchers and material suppliers. In this way, together we can discover materials and ways to assemble that are more environmentally focused.
At RIART, we believe that design for assembly (DFA) will be part of the future of furniture. For manufacturers, it is proven and sustainable to design for easy assembly, because the direct result translates into fewer parts and faster production, which naturally lowers the carbon emissions of the operations.
Another path that will mark the future of furniture, especially commercial furniture, is for it to be realigned towards adaptability, recombination, continuity, ease of storage and healthy materials, as we have already seen at the last edition of the Milan fair.
In recent years we have witnessed the creation of several trajectories in the furniture world that share a common purpose: environmental and sustainable concern.
