Designer Tsuyoshi Kawara has found a creative re-use for discarded Japanese roof tiles, utilizing them as the seat of his Kawara Chair. Using a wooden frame as the base Kawara has found a way to highlight the beauty and individuality of the tiles as they come in a multitude of glazes. And though a seat made of tile may seem precarious, Japanese roof tiles are fired at 1200 degrees celsius, much higher than the 800 degree temperature of European tiles, meaning that they can hold the weight of a person up to 250 lbs.

I love that the design is centered around a discarded object that already has an inherent beauty. Kawara smartly developed a solution for an object that was being discarded simply because it wasn’t perfect enough.

You can learn more about the Kawara Chair by visiting Domus.