In Praise of OffCuts
Words by Form & Refine
Images by Bibi Berge & Form & Refine
At Form & Refine we aim to find ways of how we can minimize our impact on the environment with the industries we are involved with.
With our OffCuts line we have looked after the manufacturing leftovers and discarded materials both in the wood and in the textile industry.
Our purpose with the OffCuts is to create upcycled / circular products that unlock the full usage of the very valuable materials that are just too good to go to waste.
Form & Refine x Kvadrat Fabrics x Sorensen Leather
We have made a unique collaboration with two premium companies of Kvadrat Fabrics and Sorensen Leather. Inevitably, in some of their productions offcuts occur. In a company like Kvadrat for instance, customer-specific solutions are often being requested and during these processes it is impossible to completely avoid leftovers. The offcuts from Sorensen Leather come from their furniture upholstery production and are either ordinary offcuts or second sorting with minor imperfections.
To be able to deliver a throughout sustainable product, social aspects also need to been taken into consideration. That is why we work with the social workshop of the Hans Knudsen Institute (HKI), based in Copenhagen. HKI is an institution that helps people who for different reasons, have difficulties in being a part of the Danish job market.
The bags are produced by hand within the workforce of HKI. We are happy to work with these great and skillful people and support their good social intentions.
Each model of the bags comes in a limited number, due to the restricted volume of the leftovers, and can be bought at selected dealers.
Form & Refine x Wood OffCuts
In collaboration with our local joinery we have taken by-products of their production and upcycled the material to a new design.
Furniture products of larger sizes like tables and benches end up with a certain amount of offcuts. They come in smaller and different sizes which makes them generally speaking not worthwhile to reuse for most further production. Some workshops use the wood leftovers for their own heating while others sell it on – mainly for local firewood.
The quality is still second to none, and in consistence with our values, we appreciate the materials we work with. That means we accept and applaud the natural and varied expressions of wood. Therefore, each piece of furniture will always have its very own distinctive traits depending on the grains, knots and colorations of the wood. Not only does this frame of mind support our vision of sustainability, it also honors the idiosyncrasies of the materials of nature.
The first design in our Wood OffCut line is the Leaf Shelving System by the Finish designer Jonas Lutz.
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Why Offcuts?
Upcycling, also known as creative reuse, is the process of transforming by-products, waste materials, useless leftovers into new materials or products of better quality and environmental value.
By using offcuts to create new products, we give unused materials new life in a functional and beautiful design.
