Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

Design

Isabel Lane takes a look at the designers bringing a new twist to recycling

TREND WATCH

Something old, something new
Repurposed works that proudly display their origins

Producing work from recycled products is nothing unusual, but the latest wave of recycled design seems to display more wit and verve than its sometimes dry predecessors. The new approach embraces the recycled aesthetic either by celebrating and proudly brandishing an item’s former life, or by mimicking it.

Leading the charge is the Gymnasium range of cabinets by ethical Danish company Mater. Launched in 2008 and originally constructed from old gym floors, the mass-produced series is now made from renewable pine and controlled oak, with the colourful silhouettes of the gym court recreated on the wood. Finnish design company Muuto, meanwhile, has released a sleek, utilitarian dining table called Keep, which proudly reveals its construction from leftover wood blocks held together by metal bands. And the recycled look is really shining in lighting design, from British designer Lee Broom’s pendants resembling golden and crystal decanters to the ‘Bogracs’ enamelled light from Hungarian duo A plus Z Design, which is based on the traditional outdoor cooking pots used by Gypsies. So, think twice before you chuck out that old pan…

PROFILE

WalterWorks
This Belgian design company embraces waste to create art

Established In 2005 by Belgian artist Walter Raes, in association with Gordon Taylor and Guy Cooper.

What? A conceptual art, design and fashion company specialising in one-offs made from recycled household and industrial materials.

Where? Based in London, Walterworks pieces are sold at Milk in Shoreditch and the Oxo Tower Gallery, as well as online.

He says “I describe my work as witty and funky, with a big splash of good old-fashioned Belgian cool.”

Inspired by “I come from an artistic family; my father Edwin is a sculptor, my mum (the late Maria Peeters) was a poet. Growing up I was surrounded by art; my dad took me to galleries in Antwerp and Brussels, and we would visit the flea markets in Sint-Niklaas.”

He loves “To walk in Antwerp’s Old Town – you always find something new and inspiring.”

What’s next? “I’ve just finished designing the interior of Hari’s Hairdressers on London’s King’s Road.”

We love The ‘Missing’ Coffee Table (above), €2,880. www.walterworks.co.uk

LOG ON TO…

The inspirational Swedish architecture and design firm Claesson Koivisto Rune (www.ckr.se) has designed its third hotel, Nobis, which will open on Norrmalmstorg square in downtown Stockholm early next month. Expect a modern look, with plenty of natural materials and organic shapes and furniture – including the company’s ‘Doodle’ chair for Tacchini. Check it out to check in at www.nobis.se

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