When Eggplant Skins Become Something Extraordinary

We've always been drawn to the stories behind materials – the ones that challenge what we think we know about waste, beauty, and possibility. So when we discovered Precious Peels, a project transforming humble eggplant peelings into translucent, light-catching surfaces, we knew we had to share it.

As July marks the start of eggplant season, designer Loumi Le Floc'h is collecting the discarded skins and turning them into something completely unexpected.

Working from her lab at Ateliers Zaventem in Brussels, Loumi has spent years perfecting a process that sounds almost alchemical. Through careful chemical reactions, she coaxes remarkable colours from what would otherwise hit the compost bin. Deep blues, brilliant reds, velvety browns, each piece becomes a kind of organic stained glass that shifts and changes as light moves across it.

These materials don't try to pretend they're something else. They celebrate their origins while becoming something entirely new. Loumi's eggplant surfaces are finding their way into real spaces, sliding doors, wall panels, custom lighting. They're being sandwiched between glass for unique windows, transformed into architectural elements that respond to their environment throughout the day.

There's something deeply satisfying about materials that carry the memory of growth, of seasons, of living systems. In a world increasingly aware of our waste streams, projects like Precious Peels offer tangible proof that innovation often comes from looking differently at what's already around us.

We're constantly inspired by makers who see potential where others see problems. Loumi's work reminds us that the most revolutionary materials aren't always invented from scratch – sometimes they're discovered in the most ordinary places, like the kitchen bin.

As what we typically discard from our food comes into focus, it's worth asking: what other conversations between biology, chemistry, and design are waiting to be discovered?

References: Loumi Le Floc’h