Some materials feel almost invisible, simply because they are woven into our daily lives. Polyurethane foam is one of them: hidden inside sofas, car seats, even trainers. Yet behind this apparent comfort lies a serious problem: polyurethane is difficult to recycle and highly polluting. It is from this realisation that Beyond Foam was born, an exhibition hosted at the Aram Gallery during the London Design Festival 2025.
The project is led by EcoLattice, a start-up founded by Yash Shah, who turned his passion for 3D printing into a radical exploration of materials. The idea is deceptively simple, almost obvious in its boldness: to replace conventional foam with a 3D-printed alternative made from recycled and recyclable elastomers.
Eight UK-based designers have been invited to put this new material to the test, creating prototypes that look less like objects and more like glimpses of a possible future. There’s the chair that transforms unconscious fidgeting into a tool for relieving stress; a chaise longue designed for uncompromising everyday relaxation; and a spine-like structure that reinterprets the relationship between posture and movement. Each project offers a different way of imagining comfort, yet all share the same principles: lightness, breathability, adaptability.
EcoLattice’s technology is not only sustainable: it is also democratic. By eliminating moulds and complex processes, 3D printing cuts time and cost, opening the door to a more customisable and accessible kind of design. A shift in perspective that redefines the relationship between material, body and industrial production.
This dialogue between experimentation and tradition also features a re-imagining of an icon: Eileen Gray’s Bibendum Chair, a symbol of Aram’s historic connection with design innovation. To enrich the experience, co-curator Nina Zenhäusern has created a “material lab”, allowing visitors to observe and handle samples of the new foam.
As Grace Eden, Creative Manager at Aram, notes: «The problem that Beyond Foam addresses is vast, but often feels remote. A show like this makes it immediate, tangible».
Open until 1 November, Beyond Foam is more than just an exhibition of prototypes. It is an invitation to rethink what we consider normal, to imagine that even a seemingly ordinary material like foam could become the starting point for reshaping our future.
