The Remnants Tables Series Repurposes Materials That Would Otherwise be Wasted

Feature Article

Melbourne, VIC, Australia

The Remnants Table Series was created by Josh Carmody in response to the high levels of waste he observed from his work in the design industry. Crafted from timber and brass, the Series allows materials samples that would otherwise be discarded to be transformed into a beautiful table, disrupting the cycle of waste.

As an architect and founder of his own Melbourne-based industrial design studio, design was Josh Carmody’s method for addressing his concerns about waste and sustainability. After noticing how many studios have samples of stone, tile and timber gathering dust and eventually being thrown away, he designed a system to reuse these unwanted samples and give them a new lease of life. The result is the Remnants Table Series, which were recognised at the 2018 INDE Awards, winning the object category.

The Remnants Series is a leg system designed to clamp onto a material, making possible many configurations of layout, size, shape and material. Designed and manufactured in Melbourne and launched in Milan in 2017, the intention is to create a simple, elegant and effective system that could encourage architects and designers to disrupt the cycle of waste. By repurposing the materials that would otherwise be wasted, the Remnants Series utilises an untapped resource and gives designers the means of creating a truly sustainable, unique piece of furniture.

Crafted from timber and brass, the clamp becomes a visual feature of the table, highlighting rather than hiding the functionality that allows the materials to be used in this way. ‘The Remnants clamping mechanism is comprised of individually designed and coordinated Components.’ explains Josh. ‘I spent an age happily refining shapes and proportions to ensure the final product celebrated the functional aspects of the clamping mechanism, while also celebrating any table-top materials which were actually being recycled.’

Standard timbers are American white oak and American walnut – in line with his drive to create something that would reduce waste, the dimensions of the legs mean that Josh is able to use timber offcuts from his own furniture production. ‘Thinner offcuts are often hard to reuse and so they are usually thrown away.’ he says. ‘But now, I have the capacity to utilise offcuts of various lengths at a 25mmx25mm section’.

The design process took over two years due to the complexity of creating a system that would work with so many unknown variables. This time and hard work paid off, with the judges of the INDE Awards calling the Remnants Series ‘a new standard of elegance in sustainability’. It highlights how constraints can create something that would otherwise not be considered – and that sustainability is at the forefront of innovation in design.