Textile Waste, Reimagined: The Making of The Loom Lounge

Loom Lounge, designed by Carl Broesen and made entirely of reclaimed textiles

At After, we’re committed to driving Australia’s circular economy by giving discarded textiles a second life. Our partnerships with designers and artists show how creativity and circular design can challenge perceptions of waste and build a more sustainable future.

Melbourne-based designer and After partner, Carl Broesen, shares this aim. With experience in furniture design and manufacturing, Carl has firsthand understanding of both the reuse potential and the amount of waste associated with materials like metal and textiles. His work explores how discarded materials can be elevated into functional, thought-provoking pieces that challenge our perceptions of waste.

The Loom Lounge, a recent project of Carl’s, is a testament to this philosophy. Constructed entirely from discarded textiles and metal offcuts, the three-seater sofa combines industrial and handcrafted techniques to give new life to materials that might otherwise be forgotten. Partnering with After to source second-hand textiles, Carl set out to create a piece that sparks conversation about waste and its potential for reimagining.

We enjoyed speaking with Carl, who shared his insights into the piece's construction and design process.

What inspired you to create The Loom Lounge, and what message do you hope it conveys?

“The Loom Lounge is constructed entirely of discarded materials, and I wanted to show how design can shift people's negative perceptions of waste materials into a more resourceful outlook, by showcasing a beautiful and functional product that brings people together. It highlights valuable materials that are often discarded into landfills, causing detrimental impacts to the environment and ecosystem.”

What drove your decision behind the materials utilised? Why did you choose the materials you did?

“Metal was chosen for its strength and ease to weld and fabricate. Furthermore, it's a material that can be recycled relatively easily. It has an abundance in the furniture manufacturing industry, with many offcuts being circulated from factories to recyclers and back into raw materials. Working in the furniture design and manufacturing industry made metal offcuts very accessible to me. 

Textiles are a difficult material to recycle and offer softness and some cushioning and I could see a potential that they could be used as an alternative cushioning material to the traditional, and difficult to recycle upholstered foam seat.”

I’d love to hear more about the meaning and symbolism behind this piece

“There is a negative perception of waste textiles to be ‘dirty’ or ‘used’ and I wanted to challenge this notion by selecting textiles that are considered to be easily stained, selecting lighter colours of whites and beiges, which are used as symbols of purity and cleanliness in western culture. 

As I wanted the piece to start conversations about waste materials, I chose a singular product type that can simultaneously bring people together and experience the waste materials in a new light. A lounge is a product that represents comfort and relaxation, nurturing connections in the home, fostering conversations about days past, and can be experienced at the same time with multiple people. In this case, three people at a time”

Could you walk us through the process of sourcing the materials for the Loom Lounge? How did you select the materials and approach you landed on?

“Part 1, The Metal work.

First came research into what metals were available to me, documenting all the shapes and sizes and types of metal. I looked in the offcuts bins of manufacturers and selected pieces that had some level of abundance, consistency and had not completely rusted. Finding the woven wire mesh was what influenced the decision to make the frame entirely out of mild steel, and I loved how the woven element tied in with the story of textiles construction. The woven wire mesh came in odd sizes and shapes and I cut, welded and shaped them to the form of the lounge. Following this I sourced some mild steel tubing from another factory, this would give the woven wire mesh strength and being the same material could be welded together and later was able to be electroplated in a shiny nickel finish, unifying all the offcut metal into one completed structure and offering corrosion resistance.  

Part 2, The Textiles.

Concurrently I made a trip to the After warehouse where I met with Nehal & Yesha to sort through all the textile waste. A mix of deadstock bedding, and fabrics made from wool, polyester, cotton and acrylic was collected and taken home to experiment with. I had a small square section of the woven wire mesh that I used to test how the textiles could be fastened, playing with weaving and various knots. I discovered that if the textiles were cut to a certain size then looped through the woven wire square holes and repeated a few times in the adjacent holes, the textiles would just sit there and not come out. The technique is very similar to how rag rugs are constructed, the main difference being that a rag rug uses forms of clips or knots to secure the textile substrate where the Loom Lounge uses sheer volume to prevent the textiles from falling through the mesh wire. 

What was the biggest challenge or surprise when working with these materials?

“The sheer amount of textile needed to complete the sofa was a challenge - not for sourcing, but for tying each small piece to the frame, I lost count after 3000 pieces. After completing it, the textiles actually make for a really comfortable seating experience, in-fact I've fallen asleep on it many times.”

Carl welding together the reclaimed mild steel frame

Similar to After’s collaborative approach to textile waste minimisation through partnerships and capacity building, Carl’s approach to design is rooted in the belief that no creator works in isolation. "No designer is an island," he says, reflecting on the importance of collaboration in building a more sustainable future. By working with discarded materials, he challenges traditional perceptions of waste and explores new ways to integrate sustainability into functional design.

His work has been widely recognised, with The Loom Lounge earning the Authentic Design Alliance’s Design Futures Award at Design Fringe 2024 and being shortlisted for both the VIVID Emerging Designer Awards 2024 and Australia’s Next Top Designer 2024. It was also exhibited at Melbourne Design Week (Pop ‘Round Exhibition 2023).

For Carl, upcycling is more than just a design choice, it is a way to extend the life and value of materials that would otherwise be lost. As conversations around circularity continue to grow, he sees designers playing a crucial role in shaping how industries rethink waste. By pushing creative boundaries and forging new partnerships, he demonstrates how discarded materials can be both beautiful and functional.

You can find out more about Carl’s work and follow his upcoming projects via his Website and Instagram

Want to incorporate reclaimed textiles into your own work? Get in touch with After to explore sourcing and collaboration.