Technology meets nature

We can’t quite decide what’s most endearing about this picture: the cool tortoise with his bow legs, or the chair that’s been designed to bring us just a tad closer to nature.

With “The Inner Life”, Spanish designer Martín Azúa invites the user to integrate natural processes into everyday life. The innovative chair is not only great for putting up your feet, it also features a plant container and a hole at the bottom where a rabbit, cat or tortoise can hide.

The project is a continuation of work Martín started in 1999, when he placed jars made of porous ceramics in riverbeds to collect a specific bacteria strain. In another project, which took place at the Ceu San Pablo in Valencia, he conceptualised various materials for construction that would encourage small animals to make the structure their home.

More information: www.martinazua.com