upcycled furniture

Material designer Charlotte Kidger showcased her work at the London Design Festival last year. With plastic named as the Material of the Year, her collection of furniture is made from recycled industrial waste – polyurethane foam dust, which is a byproduct of 3D model... Read More →

In 2005, Kresse Wesling and James Henrit launched Elvis & Kresse*. A certified B Corporation, their sustainable luxury line of bags and accessories is made from genuine de-commissioned British fire brigade hoses that would otherwise be destined for landfill. They have now... Read More →

The rate at which we produce and throw away clothes is leading to inconceivable amounts of textile waste. According to the 2017 report by Pulse of the Fashion Industry, only 20% of discarded clothing actually gets reused or recycled. The majority ends up in landfills or gets... Read More →

One of my favourites from London Design Fair was a collection of furniture that immediately stood apart for its elegant and distinctive graphic aesthetic. The artist behind this body of work was Jo Elbourne of Cumulo Design, who works from her studio in Margate on the Kent coast.... Read More →

Amongst the hundreds of exciting events that have been kicking off at London Design Festival 2017, the launch of Pentatonic‘s eco friendly furniture stood out from the crowd. As you can see for yourself at their pop-up showroom on Chance Street, Shoreditch, Pentatonic have... Read More →

Yukiko Nagai relocated from Japan to Italy, to study the traditional art of mosaic at Ravenna Art Academy. After briefly returning to Tokyo, she decided to set up her life in the city of Ravenna. She now makes exquisite one-of-a-kind chairs, tables and benches using antiques that... Read More →

We may be a long way from eliminating waste plastic from the planet completely but more and more designers and manufacturers are finding new and alternative ways to make use of the material, one of them being outdoor furniture. Here are a handful of examples, plus some other... Read More →

If there’s anywhere that prompts you to contemplate exactly where your food is coming from, it’s Silo – an award-winning zero waste restaurant, bakery and coffee house in Brighton. Silo opened in 2014 and pioneered zero waste dining in the UK. Its unique... Read More →

Born and raised in Battersea, Jo Gibbs is a London-based artist who started off her creative career in textiles. It all began with her first Saturday job at Tooting market. Jo worked on a fabric stall with a lady called Lybette who took her around all the wholesalers in Brick... Read More →

I first came across the work of Elisa Cavani, whilst doing research for my book Upcyclist. Hailing from Bologna, Italy, Elisa makes whimsical lighting, desks and furniture pieces made from found objects, all of which can only be described as the epitome of one-of-a-kindness. Now... Read More →

Making something useful with discarded plastic drinking bottles is one thing. Reusing them to make something useful AND aesthetically gratifying, is a whole other (much more difficult) ball game. These little stools don’t just look effortlessly cool however, they pioneer a... Read More →

Cockpit Arts is a London-based business incubator for craftspeople at the start of their careers. At this year’s London Design Fair, they presented the marvellous Debris Chair by Carmen V Machado. As part of her MA project at Chelsea College of Art and Design, Carmen... Read More →

One of the best things about kids is their shamelessly weird and whimsical tastes. A chair that looks like a bunny rabbit? Yes please! Perhaps this is why creative furniture upcycling is so perfect for kids bedrooms – they’re guaranteed to love the quirky stuff. From... Read More →

Recently I had the pleasure of connecting with Manolo Yllera, a Madrid-based interior designer and photographer whose beautiful studio loft home features in my upcoming book (more info on that soon!). Manolo introduced me to his award-winning interior design project at Mama Campo... Read More →

Humblesticks was established in 2013 by husband and wife team Richard Holman and Katy Shooter. Richard is a photographer and creative director of a design agency. Katy is a painter, sculptor and interior designer. Their upcycling adventure was born out of a love of rejuvenating... Read More →

I had the pleasure of meeting Swedish designer Marie-Louise Hellgren at Tent London a few years back. It was here that she introduced me to Pink One Puff, a beautiful dusky pink stool made from recycled airbag material. Since then, she has launched a collection of upcycled... Read More →

Reuse at its best, Bentu Design proves that a reclaimed ‘look’ is not all about worn patinas, rough edges or shabby chic. These products are beautifully clean cut and streamlined, despite being made from a mix of cement and recycled construction waste, something which... Read More →

Founder of Swarm, Leslie Oschmann reclaims objects found in Dutch markets, French homes or Belgian antique shops to create something unexpected and beautiful. Visual Director for US Anthropologie for 8 years, she was inspired by the beauty and possibilities in reclaimed objects... Read More →

In 2012, the storage room of Italian marble company Budri was hit by earthquake Emilia, shattering hundreds of beautiful slabs of marble into shards, in a matter of seconds. In 2013, designer Patricia Urquiola created a collection of stunning geometric creations from the broken... Read More →

Popular with aeroplane enthusiasts, there’s a whole host of designers looking for ways to reuse material from decommissioned aircrafts. In the beautiful city of Bath, one company getting it right. Plane Industries specialise in crafting unique clocks, lighting, tables,... Read More →

Unwanted junk is the medium of choice for British designer Karen Ryan, who graduated from the RCA in 2001. She first encountered raw materials such as broken televisions and abandoned furniture in a long alleyway behind her grandmother’s flat. Seeing furniture from her... Read More →

Upcycled furniture by East London designer Yinka Ilori are sculptural pieces inspired by the traditional Nigerian parables he was taught as a child. Using African Ankara fabrics, each piece tells a story. A graduate in furniture and product design from London Metropolitan... Read More →

After months of anticipation, Upcyclist’s first book ‘Upcyclist: Reclaimed and Remade Furniture Lighting and Interiors‘ is finally hot off the press and released in the UK today! Together with Prestel Publishing and the extremely talented designer Paul Sloman of... Read More →

Last month, I had the pleasure of taking part in an upcycling workshop organised by Bubble London and the awesome charity Out of the Dark, a social enterprise that educates and employs vulnerable young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. A group of bloggers and journalists... Read More →

University of Michigan graduates Kyle Hoff and Alex O’Dell have come up with a brilliant new product called The Floyd Leg, a successful Kickstarter project named after Hoff’s father, grandfather and great grandfather who were all steel mill workers. Hoff had wanted to... Read More →

Brazilian designers Fernando and Humberto Campana are renowned for  their reuse and re-appropriation to make furniture and interiors. Since launching in 1983 they have built an international reputation with works founded on the principles of reinvention an... Read More →

These spaces in the Superbude Hotel-Hostel in Hamburg were designed by German design firm Dreimeta.   The listed building was once a Deutche Post switching centre and one of the core principles of Dreimeta’s design was to incorporate typical local everyday items and... Read More →

Loving this beautiful work from Belgian designer Maarten De Ceulaer. Perhaps more repurposing than upcycling i.e. reconfiguring suitcases into furniture, but very smartly done nonetheless. Desk of Suitcases (pictured above) from The Leather Collection is made from suitcases and... Read More →

We’re loving these benches made from vintage tailgates by Yesterday Reclaimed. Located in Virginia’s horse and cattle country, pieces are created from salvaged materials such as hardwoods from old barns and steel from farming implements.  The above Blue Collar Bench... Read More →

Istanbul design firm Meb Rure have created a family of furniture made of American white oak with upholstery made from balls of recycled Nepalese yarn.  The colourful balls are made from saris create a lovely spongey seat for a chair and footstool – perfect for brightening... Read More →

These great upcycled pieces are by British designer Mel Made This.  Mel reinvents unloved lamps and furniture, transforming them into chic bohemian objects d’arts.  Trained in textile design, her pieces are adorned with vintage fabrics in paisley, floral and geometric... Read More →

Out of the Dark aren’t just giving a new lease of life to old furniture, they’re helping young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in the process.  This brilliant social enterprise was founded by Jay and Jade Blades and is an extension of Street Dreams.  The... Read More →

The brilliant website 1001pallets.com is entirely dedicated to creative projects that reuse, repurpose and upcycle wooden pallets.  The site allows you submit your own personal projects which means there are dozens of inspirational ideas to browse though.  They say “an... Read More →

Launched only in the last few weeks, Galapagos Designs is a new online store selling fabulous vintage furniture.  Their collection from the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s has been fabulously revamped for a 21st century audience, all handmade in the UK. The brand upholds three... Read More →

A fabulous new upcycling studio has just launched in south east Wales.  Humblesticks revive mid-twentieth-century furniture, lighting, mirrors and accessories.  The G Plan 1950’s chest of drawers pictured above has been given a zesty makeover with their signature lead grey,... Read More →

Last weekend I embarked on a marvellous all day workshop in furniture painting techniques at The Good Life Centre in Southwark, London which taught us a range of tricks on updating tired and unloved pieces of furniture. We were offered insider tips on stripping paint, filling,... Read More →

Last year, Brasil born designer, maker and artist Paulo Goldstein began a collection of works called Repair is Beautiful.  Salvaging broken chairs, lights and other objects, Paulo takes a Da Vinci-esque approach to fixing things, making the repair mechanism a design feature of... Read More →

Deckstool exhibited their work at Grand Designs Live earlier this month.  They are a Pennsylvania company who make furniture from recycled skateboard decks.  Each piece of furniture retains the unique scratches and graffiti of the original board. Decks are even held together by... Read More →

Stroll along Brighton seafront and you will come across a stretch of studios under the Kings Road Arches selling local arts and crafts.  Love Lucy sells the work of Lucy Higham who upcycles old furniture with exciting modern fabrics. Her pieces are designed to be the focal point... Read More →

Many thanks to my good friend Cathy for spotting this one as we wandered around the Louvres today in beautiful Paris. The 17th-century painting, ‘Tabegie. Fumeur au tonneau’ by David Teniers depicts what looks a lot like a chair made from a beer barrel. I’m yet... Read More →

Welcome to the fantastically designed Oh! Fico, ma eco (meaning “Oh! Cool but green”), a bar-restaurant created by Andrea Minoni Gino Forti in Brescia, Italy. Their number one goal is that everything is local, starting with the decor designed by Debora Pace and Elisa... Read More →

Hendzel + Hunt is a design studio  in South London specialising in the manufacture and design of bespoke cabinets and furniture.  This month they have been selected as one of Kevin McCloud’s Green Heroes at Grand Designs Live. Their MADE IN PECKHAM range (Kirkwood chair above) is... Read More →

The Super Design Gallery at last month’s Super Brands London  featured a selection of items that demonstrated some supreme international design talent. Dominocabinet Number 5 (above) is by Dutch designers Atelier Schelling & Borsboom, a limited edition of six which took... Read More →

Many thanks to Decode for organising a fantastic media tour of the Shoreditch Design Triangle which forms part of this month’s London Design Festival.  Most inspiring was the studio of Rupert Blanchard who salvages timber and other materials from wherever he can to create... Read More →

Key players in the upcycling revolution are Berlin based Corinna Harl and Virginie Gailing with Klinik der Dinge (Clinic for Things). After making their design debut at international design festival DMY Berlin in June 2010, the public came to them with broken and unused objects... Read More →