Salvage Design: Super-Used Stuff for Your Space

About this time last year, I wrote about my obsession with Adrian Johnson's Fridge Couches [1] — some of the coolest upcycled furniture I'd seen available for sale at that point. Over the past 12 months, recycled design and upcycled furniture seems to have caught on in a big way, as evidenced by this spread in ReadyMade [2] and the amazingly addictive collection of project photos that is SuperUse.org [3], a social network of recycled-materials designers and architects.

Warning: you will lose at least an hour by clicking on SuperUse.
(At least I did.)

The Dutch seem to have a stronghold on the "super use" trend, largely (it seems) due to Rotterdam-based SuperUse.org. Watch the e2 Design series on PBS (2006) [4], narrated by Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, as evidence. In the episode linked below, the guys at 2012 Architects — co-founders of SuperUse.org — talk about the ultimate in people-movers turned interior design: a coffee kiosk made from an old space station. [5]

If this is what legalized marijuana and a collaborative cabal of artists, academics, and government can do for economies and the environment, what the hell are we waiting for? But, I digress...

Some of my favorite "super-used" projects, like the Fridge Couch, combine parts from consumer goods with parts from old vehicles: boats, cars, scooters, bikes, pretty much anything that had a former life taking people from point A to point B.

While not all are available for sale, I wanted to share with you my favorite upcycled furniture projects in that vein, recently featured on SuperUse.org, for your own DIY design inspiration:

Vespa Chair by Bel y Bel (Barcelona) [6]
At least to an Italian girl like me, there isn't much cooler than a Vespa, save this super-comfy-looking office chair made from a vintage Vespa by Bel y Bel in Barcelona. Be sure to check out the website and studio photos from this two-brother operation, as well as their Sofa SEAT 600 [7] — sort of like a cool, Euro cousin to the Fridge Couch.

Bike Tire Chairs by Bike Furniture Design (Michigan) [8]
According to their website, BFD founder Andy Gregg has been creating super-used furniture since 1990, making him one of the early American "upcyclers." Not only does his Michigan-based shop make its furniture from old bike tires, inner-tubes and rims, but they encourage customers to donate their old bikes and bike parts in exchange for a discount on BFD designs. Talk about a Shoestring full circle of stuff.

Fishing Boat Child's Chairs by Bas Bosma (Netherlands) [9]
Maybe it's because I've had a lifelong love affair with all things seaside yet can't afford a Cape or Islands cottage, but I think I would have given up all of my Barbies to have these chairs in my room as a kid. Scratch that: to quote Veruca Salt, "I want it now, daddy!"

Recycoool Innertube Furniture by Nir Ohayon (Israel) [10]
There's something about these chairs that evokes idyllic visions of tubing down the river, whiling away a summer afternoon, yet they could easily be mistaken for mid-century modern design without noticing the recycled nature of their materials. I think that's going to be something we see more and more of in home goods and furniture moving forward.

V8 Engine Coffee Table by Christoff Brock (England) [11]
If I knew what kind of grease-cutting agent this designer used to get the V8 engine base so shiny, I probably would never pay another dollar to my dry cleaner. The design and construction seem otherwise simple: old engine + cut glass = super awesome living room centerpiece. I definitely encourage you to try this at home, but you may want to buy Goop or Lava soap in bulk first.

1944 DC-3 Wing Desk by Dolph Bode (Netherlands) [12]
Do you happen to be a relation of Amelia Earhart, or know someone who owns a vintage airfield? Well, then you're in a DIY dream: the Dutchman who designs these super-cool office desks has to travel all around the world in search of the last vestiges of these historic WWII-era planes to build these (slightly steampunk) super-used desks.

The Ship Residence on Lake Erie (Ohio) [13]
I swear we previously researched a hotel along these lines, but this particular Ship Residence is the genius marriage of a decommissioned ship and waterfront home — now doing duty as a private residence along the shores of the Great Lakes. Seems like a nightmare in the permitting department, but also the fulfillment of a Captain's dream.

Boeing 747-100 Restaurant (South Korea) [14]
Even if you're deathly afraid of flying, you have to love the idea for this idea for a retired Pan-Am airliner turned restaurant. It's an inspiring and inventive re-use project on a literally "super" scale, even though the restaurant, too, is now sadly retired. (Check out the full story and photo slideshow on DarkRoastedBlend.com [15] for more on this project.)

Citroen Sideboard by Burton (Netherlands) [16]
Pictured above in the photo by John Bosma and described by the photographer as "a cupboard made from the back doors from the Citroen 2CV Camionette model," this super-use project is actually the by-product of scraps from Citroen CV cars that are super-used into new cars by Zutphen-based Burton Car Company [17]. Brothers Dimitri and Iwan Gobel established their company in 1993 while in art school, and have grown super-use to a corporate level in the auto industry. I know what I'd be driving if we were based anywhere in Europe.

Ecohostel Andromeda (Belgium) [18]
Sitting on a canal in Ghent, this old barge-turned-hostel is a super-use project on a super-fun scale. The hostel claims to be "eco" on both levels — ecological and economical — and offers a fair trade organic breakfast included when you book most rooms. Rates start at just 22 Euro per night (about $31) or you can book the entire Ecohostel barge for groups of up to 18 people for just 350 Euro (about $490).

For more inspiring "super-used" and other design projects, check out NotCot.com [19], a design discovery blog from the cool peeps behind TasteSpotting.