Sophie Rowley?s designs are a practice in upending expectations Sophie Rowley?s new tables are like a Rorschach of design. What do you see?is it marble" Is it denim" In fact, it?s not exactly either.
The designer created Bahia Denim, a new material that gives old denim sourced from recycling centers a marble-esque look. From a distance, the tables look like they?ve been sculpted from dark, marbled stone. Up close, though, you can see the denim?s fabric qualities poking through.

Photo: Sophie Rowley

According to Fast Company, Rowley creates the effect by dipping different shades of denim into a plastic-y bio-resin before layering them in a criss-cross pattern. When the resin dries, the material takes on the softness of a fabric with the stiffness of a resin. ?The exposed surface is jeans, so it has a soft and warm sensation,? she said.
Photo: Sophie Rowley

Photo: Sophie Rowley

The multi-hued denim merely creates the illusion of marble, but it?s no cheap knock-off. The process has its own brilliant charm?it?s cheaper than mining stone from a quarry, and it?s better for the planet.
Want more sustainability-minded design experiments" Check out these impressive material innovations at Milan Design Week 2019.

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