Powered by wind

I love it when I can respect everything about a product. These beautifully designed chairs were created entirely with the power of wind. The project 'Windworks' was set up by Merel Karhof, a Dutch designer who currently lives in London.

She, with the help of two neighbouring mills in Zaanse Schans, North Holland, set up this remarkable production line. One, a sawmill, cuts the wood for her chairs, benches and stools - and the other, a paint mill, ground the pigments to create the die for the wool. She even uses a wind powered knitting machine!

This has been a long journey of discovery. Read Karhof's interview in the New York Times. She experimented first with wind powered jewellery making. Then she made scarfs in the project 'wind knitting factory' - a wind-powered knitting machine which used air currents to power the mill. The wind's intensity determined the speed at which it knit - windy conditions saw rapid knitting activity, while less wind saw a slower, more controlled production. 

© merelkarhof

© merelkarhof

Although this current project is temporary, the elements are all movable, so it needn't have an end, phew!

I love Karhof's colour palette too. The furniture looks so comfy and stylish - they would work beautifully in any home. It must be great to see this process in action, I'm quite excited to see where Karhof goes next. 

See more at Design Boom and Bloesem.