In the realm of eco-design, the concept of upcycling is not just a trend but a necessary step towards sustainability. One artist who has taken this to heart is Mathilde Wittock, a Belgian eco-designer whose innovative approach transforms discarded tennis balls into stylish and functional furniture. This creative venture not only gives a new lease of life to an item that would otherwise take centuries to decompose but also challenges our perception of waste and resourcefulness.
Tennis balls are known for their short lifespan—once the bounce is gone, they are useless to players– and often end up in landfills where they take an estimated 400 years to break down. With millions produced annually, the environmental impact is significant.
The US Open goes through around 70,000 each year, with Wimbledon not far behind at 55,000. Wittock estimates the lifecycle of a ball stands at just nine games, depending on the level of tennis being played. “Even if they are contained in their box, if the box has been opened the gas inside the tennis balls will be released over time,” she said. “(Eventually) they will get flat and you’ll have to throw them away.”
Wittock, through her art, addresses this issue head-on. “It takes around 24 different manufacturing steps to (make) a tennis ball, which is around five days. Then it has such a short lifespan,” Wittock told CNN in a video call from Brussels. “I was looking into tennis balls because I played tennis myself, so I know there is a lot of waste.”
She and her team can hand-carve up to 1,800 balls per day, turning them into micro-cushioning elements for furniture pieces such as chaise lounges and benches.
The process is meticulous and labor-intensive. Each tennis ball is cut and dyed by hand, with colors carefully selected to match the client’s space. The result is a collection of sleek, modernist furniture that is not only visually appealing but also comfortable and durable. Wittock’s chaise longues, for instance, are cushionless except for the padding provided by 500 precisely arranged tennis balls, while her benches incorporate some 270 balls to provide both style and structural support. It takes Wittock around three to four weeks to build a chair, which she sells for $2,900.
Wittock’s journey began during her time at Central Saint Martins art school in London, where her interest in eco-design and material sourcing sparked the idea for her unique furniture. Frustrated with the opaque history of material and their processing, she sought to create something transparent and sustainable. Now, she receives materials via donations from tennis clubs and works with organizations like the Federation of Wallonia in Brussels, which provided her with around 100,000 used tennis balls.
The Bounce Chair is fully recyclable, addressing environmental challenges artistically. Owners of Wittock’s furniture can return their pieces to be repurposed, ensuring the cycle of use and reuse continues.
Wittock’s work is a powerful example of how design can intersect with environmental consciousness to create something beautiful and practical. The next time you see a discarded tennis ball, remember that it is not a useless and spent consumer product whose life has ended.
It could be part of your living room, thanks to the vision and craftsmanship of artists like Mathilde Wittock.
