Interior finishing materials are replaced much more frequently than building structures, leading to the constant disposal of wood-based materials such as panels, millwork, flooring, and furniture components. Although most of these materials possess significant material value and contain stored biogenic carbon, they are typically converted into low-quality products or incinerated. Re-using Wood in Interiors addresses this gap by developing reuse-focused design strategies that transform secondary wood-based products into certified, market-ready interior components.
The project is based on a participatory design approach implemented through transnational Living Labs. Designers, wood scientists, manufacturers, interior fit-out contractors, building users, and public stakeholders are collaboratively creating interior solutions using reclaimed wood. This ensures that the solutions respond to real material flows, user expectations, and industrial constraints from the very beginning.
Re-using Wood in Interiors will (1) map and characterize secondary wood-based material flows arising from interior renovation projects in partner countries; (2) collaboratively design modular, repairable, and demountable interior systems in Living Lab environments; (3) validate prototypes in terms of mechanical performance, durability, indoor emissions, and fire behavior, and work toward standardization; (4) to quantitatively determine environmental benefits through life cycle assessment, including carbon sequestration and the substitution of carbon-intensive materials; and (5) to assess user acceptance and market adoption conditions.

Expected outputs include a design guide for interior architects focused on reuse, a library of validated prototype components, a material passport model for reclaimed wood, and policy recommendations supporting circular procurement. By combining participatory design with technical validation, Re-using Wood in Interiors contributes to the European Union Forest Strategy, the circular bioeconomic, and the low-carbon construction sector, while extending the value chain of forest-based products to the interior design sector.