Timoté Rouffignac & Damian Jodorowsky

Earthstone

Furniture maker

©Mati Bouhassira

©Earthstone

Transforming soil into furniture

Damian and Timoté turn raw earth into lightweight indoor objects
They favour local and responsible sourcing of earth and sand
Their works are made with an environmentally friendly mineral binder

Damian Jodorowsky and Timoté Rouffignac make eco-conscious furniture in their Earthstone project, an idea they came up with while they were both studying industrial design in Brussels. “We noticed how soil excavated at local building sites was dumped in pits on the outskirts of the city, because it was considered waste. We developed a recipe to turn this discarded material into indoor design objects,” they explain. The duo also wants to transform the image of raw earth itself. “It is often seen as dusty and fragile. To counter that perception, we create solid and enduring objects with it," Damian and Timoté say. The duo does not bake or fire, instead, they use a hand press or a vibrating table to compress the earth. Their mineral binder is homemade and composed of natural ingredients. Their works are based on an artisanal process that results in objects with the durability of stone.

Interview

©Nicolas Robert

©Mati Bouhassira

What was the very first object you made?: A brick, which allowed us to compare its form and mechanics with other types of bricks, such as terracotta. This helped us to better position our project in relation to existing solutions, while verifying that our material had real commercial potential.
In what way is your craft linked to Belgium?: By using earth and sand from Belgian excavation sites, we favour local and responsible sourcing, in line with a short supply chain approach.
How do you express tradition and innovation in your work?: Our expertise lies in our use of traditional techniques for working with raw earth. However, we also use modern methods such as 3D printing to produce our moulds and tools. Tradition and modernity come together in our unique pieces.
Would you say that your craft is in danger?: No, we do not believe so, because it is consistent with the environmental challenges of our time. Even though furniture making has been neglected since the democratisation of concrete, it has been experiencing a resurgence in interest in recent years.

Timoté Rouffignac & Damian Jodorowsky are rising stars: they began their career in 2018 and they started teaching in 2024