Chair Made from Artichokes Wins Green Product Award

London-based, Athens-born designer Spyros Kizis is taking an unconventional approach to dealing with biofuel production leftovers: He has created an Eames-esque molded chair made from wild artichoke thistle fibers, a byproduct that would otherwise become industrial waste. And now the item, called the Artichair, has won a Green Product Award at the DMY International Design Festival in Berlin.

The Green Product Award is an international competition for sustainable products and services, and winners get detailed feedback from the jury, media promotion, and the opportunity to be included on Interior Park, a European online store for sustainable goods. “Being part of Green Product Award also helps in meeting interesting people, making new connections and finding inspiration for the next project,” says Kizis, who won in the category of Product/Furniture Design Newcomer.

Not that the designer is resting on his laurels (or thistles). “We are now in the process of putting a new, improved version of the seat in production,” says Kizis, who has partnered with office furniture manufacturer Schaffenburg to produce the Artichair. “We have slightly changed the consistency of the material, so we can use more [artichoke] fibers and less bio-resin and have a stronger yet eco-friendly material.”

Next up, Kizis is hoping to add lights, table tops, lounge chairs, and more to the lineup. “The goal is to put in mass production furniture made in an alternative way.”

Through June 14, DMY International Design Festival, Köpenicker Straße 70, Berlin; dmy2015om/en *