A colorful, fun item with a serious purpose, the Miss Rio Ottoman (2003) is an eco-friendly design crafted out of a soft rubber made from recycled flip flops. In addition to keeping industrial leftovers out of landfills, Miss Rio repurposes the soft rubber without any further manufacturing. The raw material is used as is. Together with the Gueto Company, Karin Wittmann Wilsmann's design is manufactured by social organizations that provide work for otherwise unemployed craftspeople from the local community. A smart, ecological design, Miss Rio provides comfortable, firm seating and is suitable for outdoor use (although colors may fade if exposed to sunlight for extended periods). Honored as a finalist for a 2004 Premio Planeta Casa, or Home Planet Award, granted by Casa Claudia, a leading Brazilian magazine for architecture and interior design. Miss Rio was also recognized as a finalist for IF Design Award 2004, as well as the 2003/2004 Ecodesign Award sponsored by Fiesp/Ciesp, which encourages the use of design as means to conceive environmentally friendly products. Because the strips of EVA can be pulled out, caution is recommended for use around small children. Made in Brazil.