Recycling today is not only an ecological necessity but also a creative challenge for designers and architects. New materials made from secondary plastics are increasingly being integrated into interiors, reflecting the ingenuity of both designers and manufacturers. One such example is the Brno-based startup Plastic Guys, whose recycled plastic panels and furniture were first showcased at Designblok two years ago — and have since been used in more than 200 projects.
The startup Plastic Guys, which is slowly but surely growing into a small company, was founded a few years ago as a project by two architecture students. Ondřej Venclík and Marco Aulisa set out to help the planet by transforming the ever-growing piles of plastic waste into a material with a second life and purpose. Shredded keyboards, televisions, refrigerators, and yogurt cups are melted and molded into unique panels that have caught the attention of numerous architects and designers — as well as major companies such as mmcité, with whom Plastic Guys developed a material for urban furniture.
Flexible and Fascinating
The Mínus panels, made from locally sourced, sorted plastic, are produced without additives, allowing them to be recycled up to ten times without losing quality. The sheets, available in a wide range of textures, can be joined into large surfaces or heat-formed into organic shapes — such as the spiral-shaped information desk in Aupark Bratislava. In Brno’s Madama Cristina restaurant, these panels were used to create an entire bar whose bold texture and backlighting make it the centerpiece of the interior. In contrast, a more subtle pattern was chosen for furniture in Supernova Bakehouse in Prague’s Holešovice district. Beyond restaurants, this versatile material has also found applications in office buildings, workspaces, and cultural institutions — such as the East Slovak Gallery in Košice, which reopened on June 12 this year. Thanks to their durability, the panels are also suitable for outdoor use.
The Largest Formats in the World. In July 2025, Plastic Guys will launch a new interior furniture brand called Off-space, made — just like the Mínus panels — from 100% recycled plastic. Each product serves as proof that waste can have a second — and very stylish — life.
Alongside this, the company has invested in a new production line that will make it possible to create panels in the world’s largest formats (3,000 × 1,400 mm). These panels can be used for partition walls, meeting tables, bars, kitchen counters, benches, outdoor furniture, or shower screens — all without the need for joints. The Off-space panels will literally give interiors a whole new dimension. ●
The company has invested in a new production line that enables the creation of panels in the world’s largest formats.
