Meet the Designer - Tasnim Tinawi
9 November 2021
The Kapok series culminates from extensive research on desert-cotton as a fully developed material. Desert-cotton is sourced from the cotton buds of a native, salt-tolerant shrub Aerva Javanica, known more traditionally in the region as 'Tuwaim' or 'Al Ara'. For upholstery applications, the cotton buds were intensively screened, dried and treated. Later investigations looked at how it could be contained within fabric. The material lent itself to be enclosed in tight cushion sections that were used as draped elements on a frame. The resulting form provides an elevated, comfortable and soft plush seat that one can almost sink into.