July 20, 2013

January 24, 2013

“I’m a builder, a fixer, and a do-it-myselfer. My favorite things in life are big tools, old wood, good pasta, and finding great materials in a dumpster. I grew up in California, and blindly moved to New York seven years ago when I was accepted into art school for sculpture. I instantly fell in love with the grungy part of Brooklyn, and within a month, we had moved into Bedstuy. I have lived in the same apartment for five years now, which has given me plenty of time to slowly “fix” a few things around the house: de-carpet stairways, tile in kitchen… you name it!” - Ariele Alasko

- http://brooklyntowest.blogspot.com

December 19, 2012

- http://www.alexkeha.com.ar

November 23, 2012

Handwoven in Brooklyn from found and reclaimed fabric. 

July 24, 2012

Moroccan rag rugs

July 02, 2012

May 31, 2012

Re-Love  is a project by MAEZM.“Most clothes and chairs used in the past were collected by the artists and other relevant parties. It was designed based on a new method using objects in which memories remain and original function gone.  The discarded chair once again becomes a comfortable sofa with clothes on top. Clothes are what enable the chair to play its part. This is also understood as one’s own past. As clothes are tangled, memories can be tied up to create a new love. To love the things again means to add another function to them. To love the things again means to add another function to them”

“To love the things again here needs be distinguished from recycling. Though the old and ragged chair in my room will gradually lose a great deal of its original function, it will hold prevalent value over other new ones through the time and space shared with me. This chair may carry an image of myself on it, stretching leg to the floor, or elaborately cherish a reminiscence of a time when I conversed with someone.
Sharing of such time and memory is also a matter of intimacy between me and the thing. However, regrettably enough, we repeatedly replace the thing for a new ‘goods’ unconsciously in pursuit of the ‘function’ it provides. The relationship between a thing and people should be understood as an expression of
‘self love’ on oneself as a result rather than personifying a thing. The intention is that the act of loving a thing again is engraved as love of one self about the time and space, and such love be proposed as methodology through ‘RE_LOVE’ “

May 11, 2012

Reclaimed shipping pallet chair.

February 11, 2012

Universal leg system, by Jakob Schenk.  “TICK is a universal table leg system which can be applied to a variety of board materials allowing you the space for individuality and creativity. A bent metal wire structure, similar to a over-dimensional paper clip clamps to any board and transforms it within a few seconds into a unique table without the use of skrews and tools” 

February 10, 2012

January 30, 2012

Upcycled old toys sofa / lounge couch by Dan Kennel.   Looks very comfortable.

January 27, 2012

Scrapwood furniture by Dutch designer, Piet Hein Eek:

- http://www.pietheineek.nl/en/collection/scrapwood

August 06, 2011

Hand kranked + solar powered radio by Kikkerland: 
-http://www.kikkerland.com/products/radio-solar-crank/

July 25, 2011

DIY chairs from around the world.

- http://www.folkforms.ru

July 24, 2011

July 14, 2011

Do-it-yourself beach tents. Black Sea, Russia 1970’s.  All you have to do is pack a sheet and find some driftwood when you get there. 

July 13, 2011

French designer Ariane Prin has been working on a project called “From Here for Here” as a part of her master’s program at the Royal College of Art. This project produces pencils sustainably by using waste from various departments of the school with the goal of supplying drawing tools for students. Each pencil has a center filled with graphite from the glass department, and its body comprised of sawdust from the wood workshop, clay from the ceramic department, and flour from the cafeteria.  Watch a video on how these pencils were made on DesignBoom

July 10, 2011

- http://www.njustudio.com/index.php?/project/hockenheimer/

June 15, 2011

Avoska, translated as “just in case” is a Russian net bag.  Avoska collapses to fit inside your fist and expands to hold 12 grapefruits. It is easy to wash and boxes edges do not rip it’s threads. Best of all, it prevents plastic bags from gathering in your kitchen corner or the world’s landfills.  With the popularization of plastic bags after the 90’s (after the fall of Soviet Union) avoska bags gradually went into disuse in Russia.

Above: Russia 1959. People carrying avoska bags. Photo: Carl Mydans.

Contemporary Russian folklore:  Once upon a time in Russia there lived a simple little net bag - Avoska. Everyone loved her.  People took her with them everywhere - to the store, farmers market and even birthdays. But then….plastic bags came and people forgot about Avoska.  To see what happens next watch this really adorable 3 minute film on Youtube:  http://www.youtube.com/avoska

Above: Boy hugging avoska bag from short “Avoska” film (See above)

Read blog dedicated to Avoski:  http://avoski.livejournal.com/

June 07, 2011

-http://treehugger.com

May 13, 2011

Book shelves made of plumbing pipes:

http://www.the-brick-house.com/2009/09/shelving-unit.html

May 02, 2011

All I need is a thermos and a tin/aluminum lunch box.

“Today, lunch boxes are generally made of vinyl, with foam insulation, and an aluminum/vinyl interior. As a result, they’re usually much better at retaining their temperature but are less rigid and protective.  Health concerns came to light in August 2002, when the Center for Environmental Health discovered that many popular vinyl lunch boxes contained dangerously high levels of lead..”.- from Wikipedia

Ready to say goodbye to plastic bags and other plastic food containers???
Stainless steel “Eco Lunch Box”:

May 01, 2011

Gamper Martino has been collecting discarded old/broken chairs from London streets over a period of two years and then spending 100 days reconfiguring the design of each in an attempt to transform its character and function.

February 05, 2011

January 04, 2011

Above: Ben Edwards and Juliet Moore

Made from discarded wood from various sources. Sanded and finished with linseed oil, putty and wax.

-http://edwardsmoore.com/

November 11, 2010

I found these beautiful greenhouses made from upcycled old windows on HAUTE NATURE. I recently have seen a bunch of gorgeous old windows in the garbage. ...

October 29, 2010

Unconventional artsy birdhouses made from odd objects and milk crates.  I saw them on Reference Library and fell in love with ever since!

- View more…......

September 28, 2010

Pillows from recycled old wool sweaters, jackets or shirts. (Image from Katy Elliott)

Sofa cover from reused jeans fabric. (Image from Design Milk)

September 19, 2010

Cafe America is an upcycled galvanized steel chain-link chair with stainless steel rod and fasteners by Grain. The chair flat-packs for efficient shipping and storage.  Handmade in the Pacific Northwest, USA.

July 07, 2010