CArrele is s fusion word for tile and the periodic symbol CA for calcium; the tiles collection is produced in the Philippines and made of 3000 organic white wasted eggshells, a by-product of farming and baking recollected from local bakeries and kitchens. Creative Waste projects are not new on Eclectic Trends but we never quite saw eggshells before until visiting in September the Rossana Orlandi gallery during the Milan Design Week 2021.
Nature Square, known for transforming sustainable natural materials such as bamboo, seashells, or tobacco leaves into extraordinary, innovative surfaces for products, interiors, and architecture, teamed up with Elaine Yan Ling to create a collection that comes in a variety of square, rectangular and triangular shapes and in three color families. In her words, designers are interested today in the integrity of materials’ property.
The white eggshells, a fragile yet very strong material, are crushed, dyed with natural products such as madder (image 5), combined with a binding agent, and cured at room temperature. The range of these innovative, handmade eggshell tiles is suitable for indoor wall applications.
‘Nature’s waste, our precious material’ is our mantra as we use material innovation and artisanal skills to upcycle grass, seeds, bark, nuts, seashells, eggshells, and feathers into radical new forms.
Nature Squared
The Barn (images 2+3) was a site-specific installation created for Rossana Orlandi Gallery showing the immense potential the material has in the field of interior design and architecture. They have used 150.000 eggshells to build the scenography and show how waste can be perceived as a luxury material.
