Heritage Reimagined: Recycled Plastic Furniture Made in Lamu, Kenya

Two years ago, we launched Flipflopi Designs, a line of furniture reimagining Lamu’s rich cultural heritage with recycled plastic materials at the centre. Today we’re revisiting why this innovation is so important and necessary for continuing Lamu’s tradition of woodworking, all while helping us to become more sustainable.

Our recycled plastic furniture is handcrafted in Lamu, Kenya, from plastic waste collected across the archipelago’s towns and beaches. Rooted in Swahili heritage and built for modern coastal living, each piece reflects a belief that sustainability, culture, and craftsmanship belong together.

This is furniture with a past — and a future.

From a Plastic Dhow to a Design Movement

10-years ago we wondered ‘what if plastic waste could become a resource’ so naturally, we built a boat from recycled plastic. Constructed from more than 10 tonnes of waste and covered in 30,000 discarded flip-flops, the dhow became a global symbol of African ingenuity and heritage-rooted innovation.

After sailing ‘Flipflopi Ndogo’ from Lamu to Tanzania and around Lake Victoria, we realised that in order to tackle plastic pollution we needed to create a ‘full-systems approach’ bringing together innovation, education and advocacy to put an end to the proliferation of waste plastic. In that, our end-to-end recycling facility in Lamu was born. Here, we are able to handle recyclable plastic at every stage in the value chain and become world-leaders in scalable circular solutions for peri-urban shoreline communities.

We finessed our processes, refurbished Flipflopi Ndogo, built a further three boats, and launched our furniture line. This is furniture with a purpose; transforming plastic waste into functional, durable, and beautifully crafted furniture made in Kenya.

Furniture Made from Plastic Waste, Not Compromise

At our workshop in Lamu, we create sustainable outdoor furniture designed to withstand all climates while honouring the aesthetic traditions of the Swahili coast. This isn’t about preserving the past, it's about keeping a living design language alive. 

Designs Led by Quality and Sustainability

Wood-free, reducing pressure on fragile forest ecosystems.

Made from 100% recycled plastic, processed in-house

Built to last a lifetime, even in sun, salt, and humidity

Designed for homes, hotels, and public spaces

And because Lamu is where we are from, this work is deeply personal: it’s about designing for the place, people, and heritage that shaped us. Our designs carry forward Swahili forms, proportions, and detailing in a way that is practical, ethical, and relevant today. 

We believe this is an important heritage to keep alive. Fewer young people are choosing to become carvers, and the knowledge passed down through generations is at risk of being lost. At the same time, wood is becoming increasingly scarce and environmentally costly to source. By working with recycled plastic, we are showing that modern, durable materials can be used to honour culture rather than replace it.

A Community-Led Circular Economy in Action

What makes Flipflopi Designs truly different is not just what we make — but how we make it.

We operate the first end-to-end recycling ecosystem on Kenya’s coast. Plastic is collected, sorted, processed, designed, and crafted entirely within Lamu County, creating local jobs and keeping waste out of the ocean.

Through our community-led recycling programme, plastic waste is gathered from villages, beaches, mangroves and remote islands across the archipelago. This work creates vital income opportunities while restoring shorelines and marine ecosystems.

This is plastic waste recycling in Kenya done with dignity, ownership, and long-term impact at its core.

Our Impact So Far:

Transformed over 400,000kg of plastic waste

Created 100+ designs from recycled plastic

Built 4 boats, including the world’s first recycled plastic dhow

Grown a team of 40+ staff at our Lamu site

Circularity at the Core: Our Process

Contemporary Swahili, Boldly Circular

Our latest collection reimagines Swahili inspired furniture for contemporary life by translating tradition instead of replicating it. Rooted in centuries of coastal craftsmanship, our designs are clean, confident, and shaped by the rhythm of our carvers. Considered detailing allows the material and craftsmanship to lead, creating furniture that feels equally at home in traditional settings and modern spaces.

Lamu’s renowned carving traditions inspire our detailing, reinterpreted for a new material reality. As fewer artisans enter the craft and responsibly sourced wood becomes harder to find, we reference carving through subtle grooves, softened edges, and tactile finishes honouring the rhythm of traditional woodwork.

We never add dyes to our products. Each colour comes from carefully hand-sorted plastic recovered from Lamu’s towns and beaches, creating rich, layered tones shaped entirely by place. No two batches are ever the same. A reflection of the living, circular system behind every piece.

As many of our products as possible, have shipping in mind as we want our designs seen beyond Lamu’s shoreline. Think flatpack but reimagined: durable, repairable, and built to last, all without compromise.

This is sustainable outdoor furniture with soul — expressive, functional, and unmistakably Flipflopi.

Designed for the Coast — Built for the World

While our work is deeply rooted in Lamu, its relevance extends far beyond it.

Flipflopi Designs is part of a broader vision to build a replicable, community-first circular economy model across coastlines in the Indian Ocean region and beyond. One that turns waste into opportunity, restores ecosystems, and supports resilient local economies.

As a not-for-profit social enterprise, Flipflopi Designs also plays a crucial role in sustaining the wider work of The Flipflopi Project — helping fund the high costs of waste management systems, and education programmes for underserved communities., .

When you choose Flipflopi furniture, you’re not just buying a product. You’re investing in a system that keeps plastic in circulation, out of the ocean, and in service of people and place.

A New Chapter for Furniture Made in Kenya

Lamu is one of the oldest and best-preserved Swahili settlements in East Africa. Its history of craftsmanship, trade, and maritime culture runs deep — and preserving that heritage is central to everything we do.

By pairing indigenous knowledge with modern innovation, Flipflopi Designs shows what’s possible when sustainability is shaped from the ground up.

We’ve expanded our designs, refined the materials, and are continuing our commitment to creating furniture that honours the past while designing for a cleaner future.

Explore the full collection at Flipflopi Designs — and join us in reimagining what recycled plastic furniture can be.