Upcycling

Mar Mikhael venue gives junk a second chance

Whether it’s a plowing truck re-used as a makeshift bar stool, or a door frame reused as a table, most of the furniture and objects used in Junkyard, Mario Haddad Junior’s hip bar-restaurant in Mar Mikhael, are creative reconceptualizations of junk items developed by local designer Rami el Khazen. The remaining items, such as the cutlery, napkins, placemats and some furniture were brought from restaurants that have shut down.

The idea of upcycling first came to Haddad during the summer of 2014 when he launched a pop up concept in the same spot which now houses Junkyard. Not wanting to invest too much financially into a concept that was only meant to be operational for a few months, Haddad chose instead to reuse and upcycle, furnishing the open air outlet with tables and chairs from his old restaurants which had closed down and re-using common household and junk items in creative ways for the decor.

The style received such positive feedback from customers that when Haddad decided to make Junkyard a permanent outlet, he stuck with the upcycling concept. Today, Junkyard is housed in 14 shipping containers opened up to create one space under a glass and iron dome. The concept of upcycling became even more creative with the installation of the permanent structure, and even events held at Junkyard today, such as the recent ABBA and Bob Marley nights, use upcycled or reused items to decorate.

“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” quips Dana Alaywan, the marketing and communication manager at Hands On, the back office management services company behind Junkyard. She explains that the reuse of items from restaurants that