Brazilian designers are thinking differently about natural resources

The forests of Brazil’s central coast are home to large root networks of pequi trees, which can grow up to 30 feet tall and bear flowers and fruit. The wood of the pequi tree is oily, textured and difficult to cut, so it was never used for industrial purposes and many of its logs and roots were left behind after loggers and farmers cleared the forests.

Designer Hugo França has discovered that he can use pequi tree roots and logs in his designs. França has produced about 60 benches (photo below) and tables from the material for Inhotim Institute, a 3,000-acre outdoor museum a few hours from Rio de Janeiro. Each bench can sell for $95,000. Collector Bernando Paz said that the pieces are “carefully crafted” and that “nothing like this will ever exist again.”

ELDERTH THEZA/INHOTIM INSTITUTE, BRUMADINHO, BRAZIL

The pequi tree pieces are not only beautiful, but also sustainable. The most endangered resource of the country is its tropical forests. Since the 1980s, environmental laws and protections have caused designers to think differently when it comes to finding materials.  The use of pequi trees and other found wood is an example of sustainability because an otherwise unused material now has a purpose in design. 

Carlos Motta, a São Paulo architect and designer, used driftwood found on beaches to make tables and chairs in the 1970s. Arthur Casas relies on weathered planks for his furniture. José Zanine Caldas was one of the first to use found materials for design in the 1970s when he made stools and tables from pieces that timber companies had left behind.

França, Motta, Casas and Caldas have set a good example from which designers in other countries can learn: art and design can play a role in conservation. By using materials that would otherwise be abandoned, these designers are creating beautiful pieces without wasting vital natural resources.