One person’s trash is another’s fancy design object

Trash has always been an object of fascination for designers. Whether recycled to create office furniture or repurposed as art, plenty of designers view waste as a material to be used, not tossed. 3/4#9

In a perfectly understated use of recycled goods, the Swedish studio Malmö Upcycling Services has created a line of design objects out of brick, glass, acrylic, stone, and sheet metal salvaged from local manufacturers. The line, called Odds and Ends, is an exploration of how reused materials can encourage small-scale production.

The line includes sophisticated vases made from recycled laboratory glass, a handheld mirror constructed from polished stainless steel and stone, and a series of hangers fashioned from perforated sheet metal.

Expanded Plate On their own, the materials are little more than manufacturing waste. But in the hands of designers, who have shined, buffed, and sculpted them into geometric form, they look like something you could drop a couple hundred bucks on at an overpriced design shop.