Collection of vases by the Brazilian designer Domingos Tótora for Gardeco Objects

Gardeco Objects is launching a new collection of vases made of paper pulp, designed by the renowned Brazilian designer Domingos Tótora. Each vase in the 'Vaso Formigueiro' collection is made from waste paper and cardboard collected with the help of the community of Maria da Fé in Brazil. Gardeco Objects is aiming at a sustainable, ethical and socially engaged production process and, with this collection, illustrates how this can lead to the creation of extraordinary design objects.

Worked by hand
The vases from the 'Vaso Formigueiro' collection are produced in a sustainable way in Tótora’s studio in Maria da Fé in Brazil. The region's nature and landscape, particularly its distinctive majestic termite mounds, are the inspiration for the designs. Moreover, the community of Maria da Fe cooperated in the creation of the vases.

During the manufacturing process, small pieces of cardboard are broken and turned into pulp which forms the basis of every object by Domingos Tótora. The vases are then given their final shape by shaping the mass by hand into the desired model. In this way, the cardboard regains its woody structure. After that, each vase is coloured with natural pigments and left to dry in the Brazilian sun. The finishing is also done entirely by hand. The earthy ochre and deep red hues refer to the natural colour of the soil in the rural areas of Minas Gerais, the Brazilian state from which Tótora originates .

About Domingos Tótora
Domingos Tótora is gaining global recognition for his extraordinary works of art in warm brown and red hues. The guiding principle throughout the well-known Brazilian designer's work is sustainability and serenity with respect for the environment. That signature matches perfectly with Gardeco Objects' vision of designing and producing art and design.

Tótora is the founder of Studio Domingos Tótora in Maria da Fé, Brazil, a place where nature meets contemporary design. Besides art objects, the designer also creates furniture pieces from recycled cardboard that are shipped around the world. His unique pieces are exhibited in London, Milan and New York, among others.

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(Photography: Ohnest by David Dumon)