ROVER is a project in which residual streams from local industries are inventoried and reused in furniture production.

Not only does this create awareness of our waste and carbon footprint, ROVER aims to take circular design beyond anecdotal one-offs. By seeking systematics in production, it becomes possible to reproduce the furniture. The project starts from what there is, which reverses the design process. The design flows from the characteristics of the residual materials.

The inventory is an important part of the project. It shows which (residual) materials are produced. The furniture gives an indication of what the possibilities are with it.

The first collection consists of five different chairs, two lamps and a magazine holder. The furniture is made from various materials sourced from industries in Aalst (and neighbouring). Each piece shows the uniqueness of the company and of the materials used. Apart from the furniture fittings, these pieces are 100% constructed from materials, labelled by the industry as residual.

Bio: I am Tom De Koninck, a recently graduated furniture designer at Thomas More Hogeschool. Before that, I was trained as a ' Architect & Civil Engineer' at Gent University. During my education, my awareness and ecological commitment grew. This played a big role in my recent work. I like to work 'hands on' and am always looking for the relevance of what I do.