Ice and Snow Furniture
There's an old saying: When life gives you blizzards, make snow furniture. We're paraphrasing, but the sentiment holds true. Hongtao Zhou, a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, made the most out of a chilling situation by building chairs and a table using nothing but the thick layer of snow and ice that currently blankets Lake Mendota.
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"The furniture follows nature, using local climate and natural resources to please people in winter," says Zhou, "They connect the lake, the land, the air, and the people to complete a sustainable lifecycle with minimal environmental impact." He also made a set of pre-frozen ice cream bowls for days when it's sunny enough to eat ice cream in the lake lounge. When spring arrives, the furniture will dissolve back into the water, but it's unlikely anyone will mourn its disappearance, since the throngs of thawing students will be busy celebrating warm weather.
Sarah Rich
When not working in design, Sarah Rich writes, talks and forecasts about food and consumer culture.
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