Knotty by The New Raw

A collection of innovative benches that explore the boundaries of digital craftsmanship and traditional knitting techniques.

Since its founding in 2017, Rotterdam-based design studio The New Raw has explored the use of recycled plastic in innovative furniture designs that take inspiration from nature, traditional craftsmanship, or rock layers. With Knotty, co-founders Panos Sakkas and Foteini Setaki push the boundaries even further. Additionally, they showcase the ingenuity of contemporary Dutch design. The series creatively combines digital fabrication techniques and traditional handiwork. Knotty is a collection of benches that are playful and bold as well as exceptionally tactile. The sustainable collection takes inspiration from artisanal knitting techniques, but uses innovative 3D printed forms. Exploring the boundaries of materiality and digital craftsmanship, the Knotty benches feature plastic waste transformed in a fabric-like surface. The collection comprises three shapes and sizes, and two light colors, of peach and mint. Folding, twisting, and turning, the knitted material invites the user to touch the pieces of furniture.

“With our work we want to tangibly express the transition from traditional to digital, and from virtual to physical, with a twist,” say architects and designers Panos Sakkas and Foteini Setaki, co-founders of The New Raw.

The different benches create a dynamic composition in the exhibition space. Sculptural and playful, the objects also serve a practical purpose, inviting visitors to rest. In addition, the Knotty benches open up a conversation about the endless creative possibilities of the innovative material. The load-bearing surface is permeable and can also be upscaled for larger architectural elements. The New Raw will present the Knotty collection at Alcova during Milan Design Week 2023. Visitors will be able to see the pieces up close from Monday the 17th to Sunday the 23 of April at the Ex-Macello di Porta Vittoria (Porta Vittoria’s former slaughterhouse), Viale Molise 62, Milan, in the A12 exhibition space. Photography © Mathijs Labadie (Knotty) and Michele Margot (studio shots).