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OUR STORY
20 years of rethinking what furniture can be made from.
Since 2006, Mater has explored how waste materials can become timeless furniture, in collaboration with designers, craftspeople and partners around the world.
Mater through the years
2006
Mater is founded in Copenhagen
Mater was founded in Copenhagen by Henrik Marstrand in 2006. From the outset, Mater has collaborated with established and new design talents. We have used FSC®-certified wood in selected products since the beginning. FSC® certification is based on standards for forest management, biodiversity and workers' rights.
2007
Mater High Stool is launched
Mater High Stool is launched, designed by the renowned Danish architecture duo Space Copenhagen. Characterised by its organic yet minimalist expression, the stool is well suited for both residential and commercial use. Today it's one of our most sold products and is a centerpiece in many hotels, bars and restaurants around the world. It's regarded as a New Danish Classic.
HIGH STOOL COLLECTION
2008
The High Stool in recycled aluminium
Launch of the Mater High Stool in recycled aluminum. 70% of the aluminum comes from recycled old pipes, tubing and other aluminum waste melted and mixed with new material to obtain the silvery expression. At Mater we see opportunities in waste and scrap materials to recycle, reuse and create new and durable products, and the aluminium High Stool was one of the first places that thinking took a visible form.
HIGH STOOL ALUMINIUM
2012
Bowl Table in mango wood
We introduce the Bowl Table made of mango wood. Mango wood is a byproduct of an already thriving industry. With a distinct passion for wood and quality textures, we partner with master artisans, exploring both ancient and modern techniques. Great craftsmanship and pure materials produce quality and durability, making design that lasts a lifetime and ages beautifully.
BOWL TABLE2019
Discarded fishing nets enter production
We began using plastic from discarded fishing nets in selected pieces in our Ocean Collection. The nets are collected, washed, shredded and made into recycled plastic pellets. It moved our use of waste beyond wood and scrap metal, and into moulded plastic for both private and public use.
READ MORE2020
Matek® is created
In alliance with large corporations, Mater explores new technology that recycles industrial fibre and plastic waste. This results in five material blends under the name Matek®. Mater is continuously committed to finding and developing new waste materials and techniques that allow us to create more from less, and Matek® is where that work became a material of our own.
READ MORE2021
The Ocean Collection, from recycled beer kegs
The Ocean Collection is launched in a version of recycled beer kegs from Carlsberg. The OC2 Collection can be found in the outdoor area of Carlsberg's headquarters in Copenhagen. It is an example of what happens when the waste of one industry becomes the material of another.
THE OCEAN COLLECTION2022
The Mater Takeback system
Introducing our Mater Takeback system. Furniture made with Matek® can be returned through the system, arranged case by case, for recycling into new furniture.
READ MORE
2023
E-waste enters Matek®
We incorporated post-consumer e-waste from end-of-life electronic appliances into our Matek® production. Bringing it into Matek® gave the material a new source, and kept a difficult waste stream in use rather than out of it.
READ MORE
2024
Matek™ with bio-based PLA
Launch of our Matek™ variant made with bio-based PLA. As a company, we will never stand still.
READ MORE2025
Our first lighting collection in Matek®
Our first lighting collection crafted from Matek®. Until now, Matek® has primarily been used for chair seats and tabletop surfaces, and developing the technology for smaller, more intricate components took time and a good deal of testing. From old woodturning communities to the newest LED techniques, we continue to explore materials and production methods. The lighting collection marks a new chapter in our ambition to transform waste materials into design furniture.
TERRA COLLECTION
2026
Matek® in larger formats
This year marks the introduction of a new generation of Matek® applications through the launch of larger-format tabletops. For the first time, Matek® is produced in significantly larger dimensions, opening new possibilities for workspace design and architectural applications. It moves the material out of the seat and the small tabletop and into larger surfaces for both private and public use, twenty years after the first Mater products were made.
MATEK® DESK
20 years later
We're still exploring.
Still experimenting.
Still making more from what already exists.
As a company, we will never stand still. Mater is continuously committed to finding and developing new waste materials and techniques that allow us to create more from less.
20 years of Mater®
And this is only the beginning.
