Luxury upcycling is gaining momentum in the world of interior design
Old, bold and beautiful
Out with the old and in with the new. That’s the mentality which plagues our society. From fashion to technology, we are constantly after the latest and newest models. In interior design, it seems we have adopted a similar approach.
In recent years, though, the world of interiors has seen an interest in luxury upcycling. Instead of being tossed aside and replaced by new furnishings, objects are getting reimagined, upgraded and upcycled, giving them a chance to be useful again.
“Luxury upcycling [is about] taking pieces of existing materials, adapting them using sustainable techniques, and adding an eclectic mix of materials,” says Harry Tucker, co-founder of Britain-based Fallen Furniture, a company which specialises in crafting objects out of recycled aircraft parts.
Ajax Law and Virginia Lung, interior designers and co-founders of the awardwinning One Plus Partnership in Hong Kong, agree. They find the diversity of the concept of upcycling to be intriguing and creative.
“Upcycling gives you the option to add value to what might otherwise be considered waste,” Lung says. “But [the upcycled product] can also come from something which is already very luxurious and very expensive.”
In fact, the beauty of upcycling is that it comes in many magnitudes. Whether it is inexpensive materials put into the realms of luxury or already luxurious goods given a breath of fresh air, there are many ways, shapes and forms to the process of luxury upcycling.
Small-scale versions include brands and designers creating one-off pieces which can easily find its place in a home.
Hermès, for example, embraced the notion with its Petit H collection. The concept is as straightforward: the maison takes discarded materials from its workshops and transforms them into new and exciting objects befitting the brand’s luxurious and glam DNA. Past creations range from mirrors framed in leather and buckles from Kelly bags to sauce ladles turned into pendants and large spoons re-envisioned as lamps.
