Manoteca II

Two mini 'wandering' libraries by Manoteca.

56th Studio I

"56thStudio deals with sassy design, quirky style, and cutting-edge graphical matters. In our studio, form follows story. Our aim is to explore objects that are not only functional but also communicative. Trying our best to combine fashion, furniture, graphic and textile altogether." 

56th Studio is a collaborative venture between Saran Yen Panya, Napawan and Atirotj. Designing and making diverse products that have a story or make stories reality. Cheapass4thEdition combines the uncomfortable and unexpected with a stylish visual aesthetic.

Rekindle

Scrap timber recycled into beautiful stylish furniture by by Rekindle.
“Rekindle is a social enterprise that is on a mission to create a culture of zero waste wood in New Zealand. This vision is being driven by Juliet Arnott, an occupational therapist, who has combined her artistic and sustainable values with a belief in the therapeutic benefits that result when people use their hands to create something from nothing. Juliet believes that participation in this meaningful and creative work has the potential to transform lives, and the involvement of Christchurch youth forms an important part of her vision for Rekindle as it grows." Ash RobinsonYou can see Ash's film about Rekindle here.
Thank you

BrutCake I

Wonderful upcycled patchwork reupholstered chairs and sofas by Nicole Teng of BrutCake.

Martino Gamper II

Still love this project and the characters it has generated. Today's selection are a little more sassy than last time but full of imagination and creativity.
"I wanted the project to stimulate a new form of design-thinking and to provoke debate about the value, functionality and the appropriateness of style for certain types of chair. What happens to the status and potential of a plastic garden chair when it is upholstered with luxurious yellow suede? The approach is elastic, highlighting the importance of contextual origin and enabling the creative potential of random individual elements spontaneously thrown together. The process of personal action that leads towards making rather than hesitating." Martino Gamper

Martino Gamper

“True ugliness can be a treat.”

" I didn’t make one hundred chairs just for myself or even in an effort to rescue a few hundred unwanted chairs from the streets. The motivation was the methodology: the process of making, of producing and absolutely not striving for the perfect one. This kind of making was very much about restrictions rather than freedom. The restrictions were key: the material, the style or the design of the found chairs and the time available — just a 100 days. Each new chair had to be unique, that’s what kept me working toward the elusive one-hundredth chair." Martino Gamper

If this does not inspire you with it's pure madness and lust for creativity  . . . I don't know what will, wild and wonderful.

31 and Change

'31 & change' is a Brooklyn based furniture set up by Kurt Lenard. It is a company that blends urban and rustic creating unique one of a kind pieces often upcycling old furniture incorporating it into fresh timber.
The benches use three contrasting chairs from different eras to form a new contemporary piece.
For every piece of furniture that 31& Change sell  they plant two trees one for you and one for the company, wonderful.

Nakadia Project by Smile Park

"The 20th-century economic model based on the mass production and mass consumption system has been proven to be unsustainable. The human society at the beginning of the 21st century is demanding a change in direction. The prevailing desire for sustainable development urges the creation of a new cyclical society. Diverse problems of resources and energy, environmental pollution by waste, deteriorating tourist resources, loss of local flavors due to the standardisation of cities, administrative decentralisation, low fertility and population ageing, education, highly computerised society and so on are before us pressing us to find solutions.

Designers have made a major contribution to the 20th-century- type development. However, now, we must return to the starting line with the realisation that we should promote humanism and direct our passion to building a sustainable society and creating the culture to support such a society. We established the Japan Design Association as a non-profit making movement to help solve the above problems with the power of design and to promote the building of a beautiful and emotionally rich cyclical society. We cordially invite like-minded persons to join us.
Japan Design Association

This upcyclied office chair design is by Japan's Smile Park a collaborative design company founded by Shunsuke Kosaka and Satoshi Sugie. (thanks)

Harm Goslink Kuiper II

Harm Goslink Kuiper

 

Sometimes I go off at a tangent, sorry, today's tangent is amazing instruments constructed from the debris of broken furniture, instruments and fruit boxes by Harm Goslink Kuiper and his friends. I love them, they are wonderful and I am hoping that we can make some with our students as a fun project this year.

Bryan Christiansen

  

 

 

 

Bryan Christiansen takes pieces of abandoned furniture and deconstructs them transforming them into trophies. It is a reinterpretation of being a 'hunter gatherer', the work created is exquisitely crafted but it is also a comment on our wasteful consumerism, whilst tipping its hat to taxidermy and assemblage art.
An interesting way to look at upcycling and restoration.

Joao Mouro

Joao Mouro makes these incredible architectural cabinets by upcycling old furniture. Joao's work is an odd but wonderful amalgamation of furniture, architectural design and sculpture. (Thanks) and (Thanks)