The Plote and Prov by Sumer Singh series reinterprets the historic Italian scagliola technique through contemporary furniture objects formed with reclaimed materials. Created by the designer behind the studio MTHARU, the works explore how discarded fragments can be recomposed into layered surfaces that resemble stone. Traditional scagliola methods, which historically imitate marble using plaster and pigments, are reworked through a process that incorporates waste materials into sculptural table forms.
Organic silhouettes define the pieces, with ridged edges and irregular contours that give each object a geological appearance. The layered material composition produces striations across the surfaces, echoing natural rock formations while revealing the mixture of reclaimed fragments embedded in the matrix. The collection treats waste as a raw material for new design production rather than a discarded by-product.
Image Credit: Sumer Singh
Why This Trend Is Growing
- Reclaimed-material Scagliola
- A contemporary take on scagliola that substitutes traditional plaster and pigments with post-consumer fragments reveals potential for low-cost, high-design surfacing alternatives that mimic natural stone.
- Layered Waste Composites
- Striated composites built from heterogeneous waste streams point to new material systems where aesthetic variation is a feature rather than a defect, enabling bespoke batch productions from recycled inputs.
- Geological Aesthetic Furniture
- Organic silhouettes and ridged, rock-like surfaces create a category of furniture that foregrounds material provenance and visible reclamation, offering premium narratives around authenticity and sustainability.
Industries Being Reshaped
- Furniture Design
- Design studios and makers could leverage reclaimed-composite techniques to differentiate product lines with tactile, stone-evoking pieces that reduce reliance on quarried materials.
- Construction Materials
- Panels, countertops, and cladding produced from layered recycled matrices may emerge as alternative hard-surface solutions combining structural utility with decorative, variegated finishes.
- Circular Supply Chains
- Systems that channel building and manufacturing offcuts into value-added composite goods illustrate business models where waste is monetized and material loops are closed.
