Poppy Lawman Studio
Papirstein is a chair made of compressed spruce paper pulp and local rosehip ink from the woods surrounding Oslo.
Norwegian paper industry and low environmental impact
Norway has 39% of its land covered by forests, and wooded land and productive forests total 8.3 million hectares. The main tree species contain characteristically long grain fibres, which are excellent for paper production. Therefore, Norway's largest industry has been exporting and producing paper pulp.
Norwegian forest management policies are committed to protecting a forests' ecosystem as a diverse natural environment and their social and cultural values. Their goal is to protect excessive logging and replenish forests faster than they are felled. The annual increase of 22 million cubic meters and an annual harvest of 8.4 million cubic meters determine that it is possible to produce a very sustainable raw material. These measures have made Norwegian paper pulp with a low environmental impact according to cradle to cradle and circular thinking.
The country not only invests in national production but also seeks to promote responsible consumption and production around the globe aiming for Goal 12 of the United Nations' sustainable development goals to transform our world by 2030.
Poppy Lawman Studio
British designer Poppy Lawman, based in Oslo, focuses on a transparent process, with particular attention to the local and sustainable raw materials that reach circular production.
Papirstein
Poppy Lawman has seen the potential of recyclable, degradable and renewable material produced by the Norwegian pulp industry. She explores the use of high-compression cellulose techniques to create a solid, mouldable product to promote more ecological designs for furniture production.
Papirstein is a chair made from compressed spruce pulp and rosehip ink, made from the wood around Oslo. The chair was developed in collaboration with Hellefoss Paper, a 122-year-old paper mill in Hokksund, Norway.
“Here the pressed disks are drying (At this point the studio definitely looked a bit like a cheese factory…). Each disk is made using a mould, press, pulp and water (high-compression activates the lignin in the wood and makes it even stronger). It took a lot of experimentation to get a good recipe between compression amount, pulp amount, water, and time. The idea being to take this high-compression technique (like in packaging or egg cartons) to create larger scale furniture and objects that are strong but degradable and utilise further this beautiful, raw, local and responsible material.”
Bue Brushes - Oak, bees-waxed linen, coco fiber. 2019.
Bue Brushes
Poppy Lawman focuses on making thoughtful, slow designs and objects. Concentrated on the quality of the raw material, she aims to connect one to their surroundings and strives to promote living in the moment.
Bue Brushes - Oak, bees-waxed linen, coco fiber. 2019.
“The Bue (Arc) Brush series is part sculpture and part utilitarian, made to be enjoyed in and out of use; dancing the line of art and design for a slower, more connective way of living”
Bue Brushes, 2019.
The crumb brushes are made of steamed oak from well-managed forests that are responsibly harvested. They are made entirely of biodegradable oak materials, coconut fibres, flax thread and beeswax.
Through the traditional steam-bending technique, ancient craftsmanship transforms raw oak into fluid shapes; once heated, the wood is malleable and flexible, ready to be formed by hand and take shape.
Ren
Ren focuses on the experience of hand washing as a personal care ritual, where time is enjoyed, reflected and transformed into a pleasurable experience.
“In a time when cleanliness and hygiene are topical conversations, Ren is an exploration into the modern cleansing ritual. An exploration and re-imagining that begins with an act that we currently do countless times a day; the simplest and humbleness of acts, that of handwashing.”
Porcelain soap dish and hand basin made with curving lines like that of stones rounded alongside a river.
Generously soft and gentle hand and nail brushes made with ebony horse hair.
“The shapes of each piece are formed of rolling curves almost as if formed by running water, like that of stones beside a running river. The blackened oak is torched in an act called shou sugi ban, with their top layer burnt to form a natural, water protective layer. A time old manner of protecting wood from the elements. Together these ideas and techniques intertwine to form the basis of Ren, to re-imagine the handwashing experience. The set includes a wash basin, soap dish, towel, pitcher, hand brush and nail brush.”
Shou-Sugi-Ban hand and nail brush, a manner to protect the wood from water and the elements.