NewspaperWoord

Mieke Meijer is an Eindhoven-based designer whose work considers the autonomy of the user crucial to successful design. Vij5 is a design studio that operates on five tenets: design, curate, translate, create and share. Vij5 collaborates with young designers on innovating new materials and techniques with sustainability in mind.

Meijer collaborated with Vij5 to develop NewspaperWood, which is a material that resembles wood but is made of individual sheets of newspaper that have been glued together and cut into planks. NewspaperWood recognizes the origin of paper products and embraces a natural look, resulting in a wood-like material that can be sawn, drilled, sanded and finished with wax, oil, paint or varnish. When used in furniture and cabinetry such as in the products made by Vij5, NewspaperWood gives a second, high-end life to a usually thoughtlessly discarded material. Currently, NewspaperWood is only available as veneer, not a solid material.