Tired of your furniture? Compost it.

Earth friendly design lovers will be happy to hear this. You no longer have to suffer the guilt of adding another piece of unwanted furniture to the landfill thanks to french designer Elise Gabriel. Her "Zelfo Embrace" collection of furniture and lighting is adorable, functional, and biodegradable.

Liga Collection by Elise Gabriel - photo: designboom.com

The main ingredient, Zelfo, is made of cellulose fibres deriving from plant materials that are soaked, pressed and dried to mold the shapes they are pressed onto. Gabriel seems to have spent a great deal of energy researching and experimenting with this material and process in order to produce an aesthetically pleasing line of tables, chairs and lighting.

photo: designboom.com

photo: designboom.com

photo: designboom.com

photo: designboom.com

I love the way that the final products pay tribute to their source: vegetation and plants. The surface of the furniture is very textured and fragile looking and the way the different parts join together are reminiscent of stem and branch joints. The lamp shades are thin enough that light diffuses through them as the sun might shine through flower petals.

photo: designboom.com

photo: designboom.com

photo: designboom.com



photo: designboom.com

Elise Gabriel is an award winning designer and her work is currently being displayed at Galerie Gosserez in Paris until April 4th, 2011. source: designboom.com