Reclaimed wood a hot design trend
The interior use of reclaimed wood is a hot design trend, with bowling alleys becoming ceilings and wine barrels turning into quirky stools
A shipwreck off the coast of Indonesia, old US railroad cars, the remnants of demolished Balinese village houses - the wood from all of these is being salvaged and used for everything from whimsical bar stools to tables and flooring.
The use of reclaimed wood in interior spaces is one of the hottest design trends right now, and not just because it is less damaging to the environment to make do with what's already been felled.
Repurposed wood, especially if it's a century old or so, has a patina and pedigree that would be impossible to replicate in new wood.
"Wood is an amazing material, and how it's used comes in and out of fashion," said Brooks Atwood, adjunct professor of product design at Parsons in New York. "With the current trend in heritage-looking design, it's easier to do that with reclaimed wood. There is the sustainability angle, but you're also building in a story to your project."
The wood itself is sometimes salvaged from unusual places: Atwood has used the remnants of demolished bowling alleys to create an all-wood ceiling for a house in Los Angeles.
Elmo, a Hong Kong-based company, uses otherwise unwanted ornate elm doors and beams from old houses in China, and turns the material into modern furniture.