A Touch of Green by Droog
In 2008, Droog presented A Touch of Green, a project that deliberately questioned what sustainability in design could and should mean. Rather than promoting a single ecological solution or a clearly defined “green” aesthetic, the project approached sustainability as a complex cultural issue shaped by behaviour, production, material choices, and social responsibility.
First shown during the Salone del Mobile in Milan, A Touch of Green brought together a diverse group of designers whose works explored environmental concerns through radically different strategies. Some projects focused on reducing energy consumption, others on rethinking waste, durability, or ownership, while several examined how participation and awareness can alter the life cycle of objects. Later that year, the project was presented at Droog Amsterdam, allowing the ideas introduced in Milan to reach a broader audience.
Instead of presenting sustainable design as a finished answer, A Touch of Green functioned as an open framework for discussion. The selection revealed that sustainability is not only a technical matter, but also a question of habits, values, and long-term commitment. The exhibition design, created by Marcel Schmalgemeijer, reinforced this position by avoiding visual uniformity and allowing each work to retain its own voice.
The projects shown ranged from intimate, body-oriented solutions, such as localised heating through furniture, to public interventions that invited collective participation. Waste materials were transformed into new functional or aesthetic systems, everyday domestic objects were reimagined through alternative production methods, and existing products were reframed to encourage care, longevity, and emotional attachment. Together, these works demonstrated that sustainability can emerge through restraint, reuse, conceptual clarity, or social engagement, rather than through technology alone.
A Touch of Green positioned Droog’s design philosophy clearly within the sustainability debate: critical, inquisitive, and resistant to easy answers. By presenting multiple, sometimes conflicting approaches side by side, the project emphasised that sustainable design is an evolving practice — one that benefits from experimentation, reflection, and continuous questioning.
The project included the following works and proposals:
Cosy Chair by SMAQ
A chair that provides localised body heat, proposing an alternative to heating entire interior spaces.
Set in Concrete by FormaFantasma
A tabletop ritual combining fragile porcelain with heavy concrete, exploring material contrast and energy-conscious production.
One Day Paper Waste by Jens Praet
A table made from shredded confidential documents, transforming office waste into new furniture.
Till Death Do Us Part — concept by Martino d’Esposito, table by Franck Bragigand
A second-hand table laser-marked with a contract committing the owner to keep and care for it for life.
Drive-in Wardrobe by Gaëlle Girault
A wardrobe concept derived from the logic of transport pallets, realised in bamboo.
Magnetic Curtain by Florian Kräutli
A curtain embedded with magnets that allows users to shape and reshape the textile freely.
Plaited Fence by Martín Ruiz Azúa
A participatory fencing system inviting the public to weave discarded materials into a communal structure.
Massive Infection Table by Pieke Bergmans
A table created by pressing hot glass into wood, turning burn marks into functional glass elements.
Chest of Drawers XS by Tejo Remy
A compact iteration of Remy’s iconic storage concept, emphasising reuse and longevity.
Low-fire point porcelain by Studio Minale-Maeda
Classic porcelain forms produced using energy-saving firing techniques.
Knitted works by Christien Meindertsma
Demonstrating how industrial production can retain the integrity and values of craft.
Saving Grace Lamps by Adrien Rovero
Lamps that reframe energy-saving bulbs as expressive domestic objects.
Exhibition design by Marcel Schmalgemeijer. A touch of Green could also be seen at Droog Amsterdam (May 29th – July 13th 2008). Also see the show on Youtube.
