The Ferula chair, an iconic design element, is the result of a cooperation between designers from Lucania and Apulia and students from the Politecnico di Milano. The Ferula strongly evokes Matera, its territory and the life-style of men and women living in its ancient neighborhoods, the Sassi. The seat frame recalls the shape of sewing machines spools and balls of yarn used for knitting, whereas the back is made of materials coming from the Murgia area: the Ferula communis – generally called ‘giant fennel’ – a tall herbaceous perennial found in the untilled, rocky, sun-soaked lands of the Murgia area surrounding Matera. The outcome is a game of embroidered jointed patterns featuring an inner structure wrapped by leather or fabric bands and a back made of ferulae placed within holes drilled in the frame. The colourful patchwork version is made using production wastes so, to create an eco-friendly product with minimum waste material disposal. A chance to give life to something apparently valueless.