Mater, the pioneering Danish green-tech design brand, has launched its first lighting collection crafted from its patented waste material, Matek™. Inspired by the earth and nature, the Terra collection, designed by Copenhagen-based interdisciplinary design studio OEO Studio for Mater, comprises a pendant lamp, wall lamp, and portable lamp.
Terra is suitable for indoor and outdoor use, and it can be used at home or in hospitality settings. The unique blend of Matek™ combines recycled post-consumer e-waste from damaged or unwanted electronic devices from the UK and Germany with coffee shell waste from BKI Foods, a Danish-based company. Each lamp contains up to 303g of waste materials.
Mater first developed and applied Matek™ to its furniture design in 2020. This groundbreaking material combines waste fibres, such as sawdust or coffee shell residues, with a binder made from recycled plastics like electronic waste or bioplastic. The outcome is a unique composite that is suitable for compression moulding. To date, Mater has primarily used Matek™ for chair seats and tabletop surfaces, so advancing the technology to create smaller items necessitated significant innovation and dedication.
OEO Studio regarded Matek™ as the ideal material for creating a lighting series that appears simple on the outside yet is intricately engineered within. The Matek™ blend enabled OEO Studio to incorporate elements into the mould that would typically require additional materials and components, which can complicate the process and raise costs. The result is a fully optimised lampshade that seamlessly integrates the light source, screws, and other components in a minimal and delicate manner.
'The design draws inspiration from the possibilities offered by Matek™. It is minimalist, precise, and timeless. The simple conical form is harmoniously balanced, contrasting beautifully with the tactile quality of Matek™. This imparts a fresh and intriguing expression to the series, setting it apart from what is typically seen in the lighting market,' says Thomas Lykke, Head of Design and Founding Partner of OEO Studio.
Playing with the ever-changing and alluring texture of Matek™, the Terra Collection is rich in tactility, evoking the feel of natural materials like stone or wood. Addressing two significant waste streams, Mater's Terra series is offered in two striking colourways: Coffee Waste Black and Coffee Waste Red.
The wall lamp offers a standard cord outlet or a hardwired version for a floating, cord-free appearance on the wall, creating focus areas in a room. Both the pendant and the portable lamp offer adjustable lighting solutions. The dimmable portable lamp features three brightness levels and can provide up to 10 hours of full-strength illumination on full charge, offering ample opportunity to bring light into spaces as you move around.
Partnering with Mater since its inception in 2006, OEO Studio has fostered a longstanding collaboration with the brand driven by a shared passion for sustainable design and a commitment to exploring the creative potential of innovative materials.
Mater's CEO, Ketil Årdal, shares his insights on the new collection, 'We strive to innovate continuously and provide alternatives to traditional design solutions, particularly regarding material choices. With the Terra collection, we've once more pushed the boundaries of what our unique recycled material Matek™ can accomplish. Cracking the code to produce numerous small Matek™ components unlocks entirely new possibilities for the material's applications.'
Mater's Terra Collection is available to purchase from February 2025. Prices start from £180 incl. VAT.
More information:
Mater
[email protected]
www.materdesign.com