2050 Furniture
2050 Furniture is a gentle rebellion for nature, people, and the future. Today’s conventional furniture industry is resource–intensive and highly centralised. Valuable local resources—such as wood waste—remain underutilised, while many people are excluded from the workforce. 2050 Furniture is created to question and even change this system. This new furniture production transforms local wood waste into high–end furniture through cooperative, local production that fosters inclusive and meaningful employment. 2050 Furniture scales through new furniture series developed in new communities, expanding a local, circular, and regenerative model of production. 2050 Furniture is Doughnut economics in practice.
The Sondre chair is the first piece produced by 2050 Furniture and a starting point for systemic change. Sondre is made in Vestland, Norway, from locally sourced post-consumer wood destined for incineration. Each chair is unique, featuring an eclectic mix of lines, colours, and textures due to the varying characteristics of the up–cycled, reclaimed wood. Sondre is produced in collaboration with a sheltered workshop for employment and rehabilitation. The exhibition presents the Sondre chair as both a functional object and a critical position within contemporary furniture production. It demonstrates how design can operate within existing local systems while reducing environmental impact and strengthening social infrastructures.
