A logical approach to making sustainable furniture would be to not make any more furniture. Or, if as a society we absolutely insist upon making more, (which we do) it should be made from something already in existence, technically speaking, something “post-consumer”. My feeling is, the creation of more of anything at this point is just that – more. The real issue is the need to design something “new and different”. It’s possible that the solution to both of these problems can be achieved by creating something new, from something old.

Re-vive. Designed by Cohda Design.

Cohda is a British company started in 2006 by product designer Richard Liddle. They are known for their “RD” line of chairs, which are handmade from 100% recycled domestic plastic waste, which look something like skeletal chairs molded from stiffened garbage bags. As a solution for plastic waste, they do the trick, but not everyone wants a wild modern chair next to their Craigslist tweed sofa.

Adaptable table legs – now those you could work with. Cohda has a line of adaptable table legs called “Re-vive”, which come in both dining table and coffee table heights, and can transform any rigid surface into a permanent or semi-permanent table. The design is simple and easy to use, and can be adapted to a wide variety of found materials, so when you upgrade your couch, you can also upgrade your table.

Shipping furniture globally is a huge expense and the energy cost of manufacturing new furniture is enormous. Cohda’s goal with this product is to reduce the need for new product manufacturer. The leg clamps are manufactured in the UK from previously redundant production equipment that has now been revived by Cohda.