WASTED Collection: Max Lamb and Desa Potato Head Redefine Luxury with Post-Waste Materials

Project Info

Project Name: WASTED Collection – 001

Designer: Max Lamb

Client/Collaborator: Desa Potato Head

Location: Bali, Indonesia

Blue marbled chair heat-pressed from plastic scraps showcases unique waste fingerprints, proving aesthetic excellence through hyper-local recycling

The Manifesto of Material Honesty

The WASTED Collection 001, a five-year culmination of research by designer Max Lamb and the visionary team at Desa Potato Head, is far more than a furniture line; it is a post-materialist manifesto etched onto the landscape of the luxury hospitality industry. It declares that the true definition of luxury in the Anthropocene era is not exclusivity, but circularity. Situated in Bali—an island acutely aware of the global waste crisis—this project sets a new, audacious standard: achieving aesthetic excellence and functionality exclusively through resources that were previously deemed trash.

Hand-held beige bag from upcycled fabrics highlights closed-loop regeneration, turning daily detritus into provenance-rich, eco-conscious accessories

The Alchemy of the Closed Loop

At the heart of the WASTED Collection is the radical idea of a hyper-local, closed-loop system. Desa Potato Head has operationalized an ambition to divert 99.5% of its waste from landfill, and this collection is the tangible proof of that commitment.

Lamb’s design process is one of material alchemy, treating each waste stream as a pristine, virgin resource:

Plastic Mythology: Discarded HDPE plastics (bottle caps, tubes) are granulated and heat-pressed on-site into monolithic sheets. The resulting low-slung chairs and speckled trays bear a distinctive multi-chromatic marbling—a visual fingerprint unique to the exact composition of the day’s discarded materials. No two pieces are identical, celebrating the glorious randomness of the waste stream.

The Second Life of Clay and Glass: The project resurrects materials considered irrevocably broken. Broken wine and beer bottles are mouth-blown by local artisans into elegant glassware. Ceramic dinnerware, made from local Balinese clay, is finished with a custom glaze derived from powdered, crushed glass salvaged from the hotel.

The Organic Thread: Even the soft furnishings participate. Retired hotel linens are upcycled into bags and pouches, dyed using natural compost dyes extracted from organic waste like surplus marigolds from daily Hindu offerings. Used cooking oil, typically a major pollutant, is transformed into scented, refillable candle wax.

Yellow tie-dye pouch repurposes retired linens with compost dyes, fusing artisan craft with organic waste for sustainable, hand-made elegance

Form Follows Process: The Hand of the Artisan

Max Lamb, renowned for his process-driven design philosophy, deliberately keeps the form of the objects utilitarian and quiet. This pragmatism is a strategy to ensure the material’s inherent beauty—and its compelling history—takes center stage.

Bamboo armchair with woven cushion integrates local techniques and salvaged materials, elevating waste streams into tactile, collaborative designs

Crucially, the WASTED Collection is a collaborative triumph that elevates Bali’s rich artisanal expertise. The project marries Lamb’s experimental vision with traditional Balinese crafts, providing local artisans with new relevance. Weaving techniques are applied to plastic strips; traditional pottery is utilized for the recycled glaze ceramics; and established glass-blowers reimagine shattered material. This fusion ensures that the sustainability narrative is not just about technology, but about human knowledge, skill, and the celebration of the hand-made.

Pink speckled organizer from recycled HDPE embodies material alchemy, transforming hotel waste into functional art celebrating circular luxury

By transforming the hotel’s daily detritus into desired, high-design objects, Max Lamb and Potato Head have successfully repositioned "waste" as "provenance." The collection is a potent demonstration to the global hospitality and architecture industries: the most environmentally responsible design is not that which is imported, but that which is regenerated, celebrated, and born of its own place.

PHOTO CREDIT: Desa Potato Head