There are countless furniture pieces of interest in the IDS Prototype section that highlight adaptive re-use. One of the sexier treatments of recycled materials comes from the Rebound Design Team, composed of industrial designers Jacob Edding, Andrea Hardcastle, Isabelle Tremblay, Ryan Allen, Samreet Bal and Rob Vandenhoek-who clearly have something of an S&M vibe in mind. Using rubber, grommets, and lacing, Rebound reinvents the stackable chair, delivering it into much more attractive venues. This is the chair for Helen Mirren in The Thief, The Cook, His Wife, and Her Lover.

Rebound Chair. Designed by Rebound Design Team.

Lightweight and categorized as outdoor furniture, Rebound should grace interiors and exteriors alike, for residential and commercial use. The black rubber and dramatic silhouette spawn a myriad of design possibilities. Picture Rebound in vintage record stores and noisy tattoo parlors; or as dining chairs in modern art museum cafeterias with their ubiquitous brie sandwiches. Certainly Victoria Beckham should have one on which to rest her sparrow-like frame. And the minimalist TV office of Lie to Me should also get a few Rebound Chairs.

But what makes a sustainable piece of furniture a good design? Certainly the benevolent feelings behind the use of recycled materials is insufficient. This may at first create interest-even buzz; buzz, however, cannot outlive beauty. People, after all, are familiar with The Emperor’s New Clothes. The Rebound Team addresses the discrepancy by having produced a striking chair. Its form and construction seem primary: a sexy outline reminiscent of the female form, further enhanced by a seductive lacing. Indeed, Rebound recalls the corset more than anything else.