What are the odds that two women, from vastly different backgrounds and distant parts of the world, would meet—and discover a shared vision to create a living environment that is biobased ?
Yet that’s exactly how Leeli began.
Leeli is a biobased material R&D studio - shaped by a shared belief in the intelligence of nature and its potential to shape the future of material and design.
Its name, formed by blending our own, is said to mean ‘as fate would have it’
Why we believe
the future is biobased?
In a time of necessary change—we look to nature for intelligence and answers.
Biobased materials offer not only beauty, but also resilience and responsibility.
Our mission is to design with them — creating materials and objects that serve both people and planet.
What we do EXACTLY
In our studio we explore how natural fibers (agricultural waste), minerals (mostly mining waste) and binders can become the building blocks of future living environments. Through ongoing experiments with fiber and minerals, we create lighting and decor pieces that bring warmth, texture, and timeless beauty to everyday spaces. Each piece is made with care, in small limited editions.
A LITTLE BIT MORE ON US
One of us grew up in western India, the other in the northern agricultural lands of the Netherlands.
Two women from different parts of the world, with different professional backgrounds, but drawn together by a shared question:
What if materials could be made not from extraction, but from renewal?
HOW we STARTED
It began with long conversations—about nature, design, and what it means to create responsibly.
From those early questions came experiments in our kitchens and studios:
banana fiber pulp, mineral dust, drying racks, hand tools.
We mixed, tested, failed, and began again.
HOW IT IS GOING
Today, Leeli is a growing materials studio.
We’ve developed our own biobased blends and launched our first collection: sculptural lighting made from agricultural waste and minerals.
Our work remains intentionally small-batch, each piece is crafted slowly, with care.
We’re now ready to collaborate with scientists, artisans, and design communities to push the potential of biobased materials even further.
This is just the beginning.
Because we believe a biobased future isn’t a niche—
it’s necessary.
