I’ve always hated peeling oranges. I do it with no grace, ripping their leathery skin to shreds to reach the juicy fruit I’m craving. Like most of you, I never thought twice about this. The skin was nothing but a barrier to me, an inevitable pile of waste that I’d scoop into the trash and remember only by the faint smell of citrus stained on my fingertips in the hours that followed.
London-based designer and researcher Alkesh Parmar unlocked the potential of what we so easily overlook. His design enterprise, Studio ARP, takes material that is often disregarded as nothing more than waste to transform it into furniture and home goods. In his latest creative endeavour, Parmar is using citrus peels to construct lighting fixtures, creating designs that are as aesthetically a-peel-ing (I’m sorry, I couldn’t help myself) as they are innovative.
Studio ARP’s orange peel works were recently displayed at the Material Matters, design fair in the London Design Festival. Material Matters brings brands and manufacturers from around the world together to explore creative potential and work towards a circular economy.
Parmar took discarded peels from orange juicers and processed them by hand to achieve his final, polished result. He removed any leftover fruit from the pith, flattened the skins, and cut and sewed them to form a fabric. The fabric was then pressed and rolled into a uniform, leather-like material which was tacked onto a frame to craft Studio ARP’s signature orange peel lampshades.
As you can see, these lights are very cool. Their unique patterns are a result of the natural inconsistencies in orange peels, creating a multi-dimensional glow that can’t be replicated. But what I find most fascinating about them isn’t their appearance, but the implications of their creation. If something as innocuous as an orange peel can be repurposed in this way, what else are we overlooking? The possibilities are endless.
When we consider sustainability, we often think of all the things we shouldn’t do. We shouldn’t use disposable plastics, we shouldn’t buy from fast fashion brands, and so on. Rarely do we consider the limitless opportunities that exist within the realm of sustainable solutions. These orange peel lighting fixtures were born out of a desire to reduce waste and use biodegradable material. The journey towards this goal led to a breaking of design conventions and, ultimately, a beautiful work of art that brings an edge to an industry of standardised practices.
Parmar’s work with orange peels isn’t just remarkable because of his final product. Rather, it’s proof that sustainability doesn’t have to be boring or pose limitations. It’s a sign for us to look at the world with a more open eye, ready to embrace the seemingly insignificant as an opportunity for a brighter future.
Learn more about Studio ARP here.
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