Zartan Chair by Philippe Starck & Eugeni Quitllet

The Zartan Chair was recently spotted at the Magis booth on the Milan Fairgrounds. Designed by Philippe Starck & Eugeni Quitllet, the Zartan marks the designer’s latest approach to industrial production without utilizing actual plastic. The entirely natural chair features a special “liquid wood,” a new technology which uses wood powder (derived from discarded wood pulp-based lignin) and mixes it with a number of natural materials, including fibers and a wax or oil finish, to create a strong, non-toxic alternative to petroleum-based plastics. What makes the development all that much more interesting is the fact that the composite material behaves like melted plastic, allowing it to be injected through a nozzle into a mold. Further information on the design is offered here.