Seat Shell, The Circular Seat By Marieke De Backer

Image courtesy Marieke De Backer

Marieke De Backer is an interior architect, who graduated from Sint-Lucas in Ghent, Belgium, and later continued her studies in furniture design (VOMO) at the Thomas More Hogeschool in Mechelen. A common theme in her work is a strong focus on sustainability: one example is her project, SEAt SHELL – also included in the free Materials Design Map.

Ecology and sustainability in Marieke De Backer’s early projects

During her studies, Marieke began to experiment with design and some of her early projects include the BUDO bench and lounge chair and the CART shelf and coffee table. The first collection consists of a pair of seats with a reclaimed oak structure, to which Taekwondo sports belts are applied and fixed with a sliding buckle. The name BUDO comes from the Japanese term for the martial arts tradition from which the belts originate.

The CART collection consists of a shelf and a coffee table created out of necessity after traveling extensively during her studies. With a very simple and intuitive design, the structures are connected with a butterfly screw system, allowing easy assembly and disassembly of the piece. Leftover wood was used to create the coffee table.

Both projects underline the designer’s commitment to concepts related to ecology and circularity: recycling and reuse of materials, simple assembly of parts, and flat-pack products that can be shipped easily and with a smaller footprint than a traditional piece of furniture.

The circular design of SEAt SHELL

SEAt SHELL is Marieke's graduation project at Thomas More Hogeschool. The design process focused on developing a new circular material for use in furniture design. The result is a beach chair made from discarded mussel and oyster shells collected from seafood restaurant waste. The project challenges conventional attitudes toward waste and promotes sustainability.

The seat is fully compostable and naturally dissolves in seawater. We asked Marieke if the furniture had been designed for sale, and she explained that the project began as a possible commercial product. However, during its development, it gradually evolved into a provocation in the form of an installation, although she admits, “It would be nice to see SEAt SHELL soon on the Belgian coast and present it to everyone”.

Made for the summer season, the lines of the seat are inspired by the beach and the dunes and the material comes from the sea to… return to the sea. Exposure to the elements naturally decomposes SEAt SHELL without leaving any waste behind. A project with great potential that, rather than being sold to the final customer, could become part of a waste management initiative for coastal communities, not only in Belgium but throughout Europe.

To see all the designer’s projects, visit her website and follow her on Instagram!

SEAt SHELL is part of the free Materials Design Map, submit your project too!