To prove that good things do come out of adversity, two Detroit-based entities, sustainably-minded furniture brand Floyd and innovative manufacturing studio Thing Thing, team up to reimagine Floyd’s signature Side Table. Taking Thing Thing’s approach of using intuitive design to give post-industrial plastics another life, the limited edition table features a one-of-a-kind handmade surface, made completely from locally sources plastic waste.
The pieces are revamped versions of Floyd’s signature Side Table design, but with a twist. These feature handmade surfaces that are made entirely out of locally-sourced post-industrial plastics, a process that took place in THING THING’s studio. Meanwhile, the table legs are made of powder-coated U.S. steel, the same material that is featured prominently in Floyd’s main collection.
The tables are available in two artsy, terrazzo-esque colorways: There’s Cake, a white high density polyethylene surface with multicolor accents that was created using toy factory plastic remnants. Then there’s Galaxy, a black and multicolor polypropylene plastic surface made from automotive factory scraps. Just 75 were made for the collection, and they retail for $345 each.
With the climate crisis well underway, the time is more urgent than ever to start rethinking materials and how we can make a sustainable future with the products we consume,” he says. “The best thing we could be doing for the environment, of course, is not consuming anything at all, but ideally a furniture company creates products that last. You can produce something out of recycled materials all day, but the number-one thing we can do is make sure that a product has a long lifetime.
Kyle Hoff, Floyd CEO and Co-founder
Previously, Floyd went public with its goal of reducing packing materials and eliminating single use plastics in its production process; using at least 70 percent of material that comes from either recycled or renewable sources; using 100 percent Forest Stewardship Council-certified wood in all of its products, and measuring, tracking and reducing greenhouse gas emissions across the company’s supply chain. The company aims to meet these expectations by 2025.