Waste not, want not with the new Potato Head and Max Lamb homeware collab

WASTED by Potato Head joins forces with London-based designer Max Lamb to reshape our relationship with waste by reimagining them into pretty, purposeful homeware that merges modern design with traditional Balinese craftsmanship

Images courtesy of Potato Head

What happens when you unite two eco-conscious minds from opposite sides of the world? Answer: You get one spectacular collaboration championing local craft, circular design and material consciousness. More specifically, we’re referring to Collection 001, a homeware range developed by Indonesia-based WASTED by Potato Head with renowned British furniture designer Max Lamb. Available exclusively online and in selected stores, discarded materials that were once ignored have been reinterpreted, repurposed and crafted into intentional, functional objects carrying sentimental value for contemporary living, thereby reimagining waste as the raw material of the future.

According to Potato Head’s ethical philosophy of “Good Times, Do Good”, WASTED reflects a lifestyle grounded in the nourishment of nature and the progression of culture. Built on years of in-house research and development, the collection represents a closed-loop, circular design system that redefines how materials are sourced, made and valued.

The first instalment of this ongoing initiative is the result of an over five-year collaboration between Lamb—whose portfolio includes collaborations with global brands such as Nike, Acne Studios, Hem, Lobmeyr and the Victoria and Albert Museum—and the Potato Head team. Every piece is handmade in Bali by talented local artisans, blending his experimental, process-driven design approach with Indonesia’s rich craft traditions.

The debut collection comprises eight distinct material families, each derived from a specific local waste stream—including recycled HDPE plastics, natural dyes made from composted organic matter, retired hotel linens, broken glass repurposed through mouth-blown techniques, used cooking oil transformed into refillable candles, salvaged ceramics given new form, composite waste materials such as Styrofoam and oyster shells, as well as sustainably harvested, hand-woven Balinese bamboo.

Employing a multitude of methods such as natural dyeing with marigold and indigo, ceramic glazing, plastic casting, traditional weaving and glassblowing, Collection 001 reveals the raw integrity of each material. From marbled plastic chairs and refillable candles to hand-shaped ceramics and bamboo lounge seating, these objects are both purposeful and poetic.

Made to evolve in response to the materials present at any given time, the collection offers a scalable, place-based model for circular design. Since no two pieces are ever truly alike, it reinforces the value of process, locality and regeneration in every object. This dynamic, localised system holds the potential for global adaptation through regional partnerships that harness local waste streams.

“Designers have a responsibility to justify every product we bring into the world,” expresses Lamb, adding that “With WASTED, we’re not just rethinking materials—we’re celebrating the human hands and knowledge that shape them.” In a nutshell, WASTED by Potato Head is so much more than just another homeware range to ooh and ahh about; it is a manifesto for conscious living, a fusion of global vision and local tradition that proves design can be both beautiful and regenerative. Through a well-considered approach that marries function with meaning, each and every item represents a refreshing way of seeing value in the world around us and endorses the effort to keep finding local solutions to global problems.