Fisch Designs Launches the Camada Daybed

Waste is reimagined in this luxurious, functional and retro-futuristic daybed by Fisch Designs, crafted primarily from used shampoo, conditioner and milk bottles.

Great design and sustainable materials merge in the Camada daybed, a luxurious new furniture piece from Fisch Designs. Crafted in partnership with the founder of ditto, Orlando Hayes, Fisch’s playful design is made almost entirely from recycled plastic – milk, shampoo and conditioner bottles – that has been given a second life by recycled- plastic design studio Defy Design in Sydney. Going beyond simply being a functional reprisal of waste, the retro-futuristic daybed is a covetable piece in itself and a statement of how aesthetic appeal and sustainability needn’t be mutually exclusive.

“Our goal was to create something that both addresses the environmental impact of its creation and stands as a beautiful piece of design.”

The Camada is a declaration of Fisch Design founder Ash Fischer’s intentions as he moves into the future: to place eco-friendly materials and ethical production practices at the centre of his work. To create the piece, sheets of recycled plastic were layered horizontally to ensure solidity; the daybed’s design ends up evoking the stacked metal of tables and bar tops from the 1950s. Shape was established via kerf bending and cross joins. The structure is held together with recyclable HDPE pins, which both fortify the daybed and allow it to be easily pulled apart and recycled. “Our goal was to create something that both addresses the environmental impact of its creation and stands as a beautiful piece of design,” says Hayes.

The design-forward approach is further bolstered by the daybed’s seat, which is upholstered in a mossy green Kvadrat Vidar 4 fabric, a warm colourway that contrasts with the neutral tone of the marble-like base. The fabric’s subtly satin surface is given multidimensionality with shadowy tones woven below the surface, bringing an added element of luxury to the daybed.

“The recognition and support have been invaluable in refining our approach and enhancing the design of the daybed.”

Since launching the Camada last year, Fisch and Hayes have been lauded for their design and were selected for the 2023 Carl Nielsen Design Accelerator, which cultivates designers working in the sustainable sphere. “It was an incredible milestone within my design career and an absolute honour to be the 2023 recipient,” Fischer says. “The recognition and support have been invaluable in refining our approach and enhancing the design of the daybed.”

The Camada name and approach don’t stop at the daybed – Fischer and Hayes plan to expand it into a series including a stool and coffee table. And while the project is ongoing, so, too, is the duo’s commitment to building sustainable materials and techniques into their practices. They’re currently exploring the use of glass, steel and aluminium, and broadening that exploration to incorporate polymers using biodegradable elements such as seaweed, bio-resin, hemp and clay, paving a future where well-designed objects and sustainable practices are incorporated into one beautiful whole.