Old material, renewed purpose
Repurposed clothing, furniture check boxes for environment, budget and style
Meet some of the growing number of B.C. designers repurposing leather, wood and other materials to make unique products that each have their own story
Designer Jennifer Scott admits the interior of her car is a dead giveaway when it comes to her love of repurposing.
“It’s very rare to find my car empty,” said Scott, who runs A Good Chick to Know interior design company.
“I use a lot of found objects as art,” she says, pointing to a pair of old beat-up boxing gloves hanging in a high-gloss frame as an example of taking an item and giving it a new life. “It’s about finding a creative way to reuse things.”
Creative in this case is a space that says something about its inhabitants.
“It’s always been a fundamental element of my design philosophy, using things that have a story,” said Scott. “For me, your house should tell a story. You walk into my house and after 20 minutes you will know quite a bit about me.
“So it’s not about having everything brand new. Even if they don’t have a story with you, they already come with a story. And that adds a layered element to a space and gives it a history and personality you can work with.”
It also gives the piece of mind that you haven’t just tossed something aside and replaced it with more stuff.
Fashion is also at the forefront of the repurposing movement.
“I think people are starting to appreciate the past more for the quality,” said Jesse Heifetz of F Is For Frank clothing stores.
“Clothes, furniture, why not repurpose them? I really think people are moving away from that culture of buy it and then throw it away. People are looking to save the environment, to clean up the environment and also to save money, so it kind of checks a lot of boxes.”
We talked to a few of those people taking second looks at second-hand stuff and realizing there is a beauty and a purpose to just about anything.
Building a business on storied wood
It’s not surprising that Sam and Lenny Clemens are making a living by giving new life to old wood.
“Our parents lived on the Maplewood mudflats in North Vancouver and built their house from wood they salvaged from the old Victorian homes in the West End,” said Sam, who, along with Lenny, owns Hobo Woodworks in the heart of East Van.
The brothers rely on reclaimed wood to create their products.
“We are always designing, getting inspired and building stuff that we love,” said Sam.
Their repertoire ranges from funky boxes made to store your vinyl collection ($90) to wooden messenger/ computer bags ($220-$240), tables, bedframes and kitchen cabinets and countertops.
The latter are fashioned out of the maple floors that were in the old downtown Canada Post building.
“Our philosophy is we don’t want to see something thrown away. We want to turn it into something beautiful and given a new life,” said Sam.
But that new life still references the past, he added.
“I very much believe wood absorbs stories,” he said.
“You walk into an old house, it is palpable. You can feel that there is some spirit there.”
The Clemens brothers always have a keen eye open for wood.
“We’re always asking people. We’re always working it. People are very kind and generous and they don’t want to see things go into the landfill,” said Sam about the abundance of calls he and Lenny receive from homeowners who are tearing down a fence, a shed or some other structure made of wood.
“I think on the West Coast here, there are a lot of educated people who don’t want to be buying into the mass consumerism aspect (of life),” said Sam.