Pimpng the Upcycled Pad Pt. 2 - No Skating in the House!

There is so much fun, funky and contemporary upcycled goodness for your home (and mine... if I could just find space)... that the post on Pimping your Upcycled Pad had to be split in two!

No Skating in the House

Skate Study House

Astro Clock by Skate House

There are a few designers out there doing recreated pieces from skateboards but the most interesting and contemporary I found was Skate Study House. I love that these pieces are viable in any home. Many of the skater pieces were limited by the typically grungy look (see the Deck Stool from Hot Munkey). Skate House, however, has taken the skateboard and really thought out the pieces to create pieces that sometimes you have to look at three times to realise they are boards!

"SKATE STUDY HOUSE (SSH) is an innovative design concept specializing in recreating popular furniture through the vision of a skateboarder. The movement of a skateboarder constantly changes -- it recreates itself by transcending boundaries and inventing ways to conquer obstacles. It’s constantly about anticipation and adaptation to one’s environment. The same is true for living design. The combination of the two produces a mixture of contemporary lifestyle, art and action sports culture, which is all found in this unique collection."

Jet Set Lounge Chair by Skate House

Deckstool by Hot Munkey

Put the Rubbish Out, But Leave the Bin Inside

Street Sofa by WeMake

WeMake are on a mission and their design philosophies sing to me. I recently read an interview with Sarah Johnson and Jason Allcor, the founders and designers at WeMake and it was clear that what they are up to is uniting through design; moving design from the realm of the creative genius who creates a compeltely dysfunctional lemon squeezer that gets design award after design award to a connecter between people.

Sara is also the founder of a design collective called ReDesign which is up to getting upcycling and sustainable design into the every day psyche of people.

Swing Like Johnny

Nickel Sofa by Johnny Swing

The pieces of Johhn Swing are really quite incredible. Now, I'm not sure the amount of energy that goes into recreating these pieces really fits under the sustainable umbrealla, but I couldn't resist featuring this sofa made from used nickels.

Read more about Johnny in Artworks Magazine.

Windshield table by Johnny Swing

Wheelbarrow storage table by Johnny Swing

The Pug Doesn't Belong in the Drier

I've always been a curious one. In Prep, I stapled my finger to see what it felt like. At one stage, I tried to put my poor pet Pug, Abbey, in the drier, just to see if she would fit (my brother, from memory, did give me a hand with that one). The escapade that involved letting Charlie the canary out of his cage to see if he would be like my friend's budgie was a mitigated disaster that left me scarred for life.

Thankfully though, putting a cat or dog in this suitcase is a GOOD thing!

Vintage upcycled/recycled suitcase pet bed for dogs or cats

from luckylighting at Etsy

An Excuse to Develop a Caffeine Addiction

Now, it's not like I need a reason to drink lots of coffee... I love the stuff... but now I have a reason to buy in bulk! These coffee sacks have been thoughtfully used to make the most of the original designs on the sacks.

Coffee Sack Cushions

by Sewgreen at Etsy

Books Books Books

Dare to Dream

Jim Rosenau of This Into That was raised in a house with 5,000 books. He has been making and selling thematic bookshelves from vintage books since 2002. The idea occurred to him years earlier after reading an essay, "Books As Furniture," by Nicholson Baker. Given his background as the son and grandson of publishers, he assumed the reaction, should he make such a thing, would be furious. The work, once underway, proved him wrong.

His book furniture has since earned him a wide following with work sold in almost 50 states and countries. Primarily shown at closely juried shows, he is also represented by dealers from Vermont to Los Angeles. The work has been widely published in print and on the Internet.

You Light Up My Life

And last but not least, there is the artisian upcycler Gilles Eichenbaum of French design studio Garbage Vpot.

He repurposes household goods and antique kitchen implements turning them into absolutely gorgeous and unique lighting.