Tizu, from waste to design

It all began back in 2020 when Paul, one of the two  founders, found an old childhood sheet. Damaged by time but full of memories, this fabric meant a lot to him and he wanted to give it a fresh lease of life. With his friend Ludovic (they met when studying engineering) they had the brainwave of using an epoxy resin-based process. A first step on the road towards reuse and the start of the adventure for Tizu, which has since become the first circular economy-based furniture factory! At first glance, the concept is simple as it’s just about salvaging other people’s waste and turning it into furniture. In practice, it was out of the question for Paul and Ludovic to mix up poor quality or careless design with upcycling. They’re committed: “Reuse doesn’t mean amateurism!” That’s why they work with Émilie Girault, furniture designer, and Mathilde Dartois, art director, to dream up beautiful, sustainable, and - above all - customisable furniture. “With Tizu we reduce the furniture’s environmental impact by 85% on average. Our collection is more than 90% made from waste.

«Making something beautiful out of waste»

© Tizu

In practical terms, Tizu salvages industrial quantities of materials: wood, metal, ping-pong tables, pet travel carriers, furniture or fabrics from local partners, such as big events firms like GL Events that recently donated old stand structures, but also campsites and businesses. Then it’s time for the technical bit. Once the raw material has been machined to make a new piece of furniture, the fabric chosen by the customer is fitted and a thin coat of epoxy resin applied, bringing out the colours and sustainably protecting the final structure. Bingo! Old becomes like new. To touch, the material is rigid - only the fabric frame reveals what lies beneath. Set up at Ateliers Briand in SaintPriest, Tizu now markets more than ten evocatively-named products: Monplaisir lamp, Gratte-Ciel shelving unit, Brotteaux table, Valmy stool, etc. Nesting tables: €330 / Shelving unit: €105. A very reasonable cost given the work done as Ludovic underlines: “It’s not because it’s upcycled that it’s any less well made and should cost less, quite the opposite!”