Thomas Beck is passionate about working with diverse materials through traditional craftsmanship. Following his apprenticeship as an artist and cabinetmaker, he pursued interior design studies at Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design in Halle and at the Libera Università di Bolzano in Italy. In 2016, the father of three founded tbStudio in Lichtenberg. As designer, creative director, and consultant, Beck develops multidisciplinary design solutions—creating materials, furniture, and products that enhance everyday life while advancing more sustainable material practices.

One focus of Beck's work is leather recycling: the leather processing industry generates roughly one billion square meters of scrap annually. Rather than treating this as waste, a patented upcycling process transforms these leather remnants into new, circular-economy materials. Nabore®-LSP, a material Beck helped develop, is thermoplastically formable and works as a versatile single-material component. Beck employs it throughout his Nabore collection, including a minimalist secretary desk paired with a matching stool. The furniture legs are crafted from ash, while the tabletop and stool seat are entirely fabricated from recycled leather—demonstrating the design and structural possibilities these innovative materials unlock. The recycled leather also appears on the stool seats Beck unveiled alongside the table at IMM Cologne 2023. Beyond furniture, the designer creates trays, drawer organization systems, and an array of interior accessories from this material.

www.tbstudio.de

Photos:
Thomas Beck Studio

(Featured in CUBE Berlin 03|23)