For over ten years, designers Nuša Jelenec and Nina Mršnik have been recycling plastic in their own way – with their Toasted Furniture project. They take the recycling process away from the remote and invisible production facilities, scaling it down and making it more personal and tangible. They have built a large ‘toaster’ in which waste HDPE plastic flakes can be melted down and turned into standard-sized sheets. These become building blocks for the production of their furniture.

The idea behind Toasted Furniture is that we could responsibly produce a material that could be used in manufacturing furniture – from simple waste. The creation of each product starts with designing patterns and the graphic appearance of the boards, and is followed by deciding on the shapes. The end results are products that are simple yet functional. By overseeing the entire design process, the designers have ample space for experimentation, trying various techniques, patterns and shapes, all while continuously enhancing the manufacturing process.

About the designers

Nina Mršnik graduated from the Venice University of Architecture, majoring in industrial design. She also studied in Aveiro, Portugal, majoring in visual communication and art. She holds an MA in Product Design from the Royal College of Art in London. During her studies, she worked at Fabrika, Benetton’s research center. She is also the co-owner of the company Kobeiagi kilims, which deals in Bosnian kilims and draws portraits.

Nuša Jelenec graduated in industrial design from the Academy of Fine Arts and Design of the University of Ljubljana. She completed her studies at HDK – School of Design and Crafts, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. After completing her studies, she gained work experience at the Italian furniture company Lago, for which she also designed the Col-letto bed and received the Elle decoration international design award for it. Since 2009, he has been working independently and within different groups on various projects, from industrial, interior design, event design and sustainable design.