Best of: Recycling & Reuse

Six eco-savvy projects have found new purposes for old materials, as designers creatively reuse items that other might have been deemed ‘garbage.’

Amsterdam's newest Starbucks Rembrandtplein (by Liz Muller) is filled with only recycled or reclaimed furnishings, local artistry and eco-friendly initiatives. The shop is a far departure from cookie-cutter Starbucks’ cafés that popped up worldwide through the 1990s and early 2000s.

Camper Bologna (by Isabel Lopez Vilalta) has also used only recycled items to fill its space, from wooden boxes used in the Mallorcan almond harvest to mirrors and stools. All items were left in their original forms and sizes to reduce the creation of waste and to exude an ‘archaeological’ quality.

At London’s Bloomberg headquarters, the Pupa installation (by Liam Hopkins/Lazerian) is made of 3972 reclaimed cardboard pieces and pallets. The cave-like structure shelters a rectangular dining table where staff enjoy lunch. Meanwhile in Israel, the Shumis Pizzeria (by Opa Studio) has been filled with rows of recycled tomato sauce cans – a ecological homage to Warhol – and cut-out plywood walls.

In Toronto, a social design project – The Everything Roof (by About Face) – is seeking to use recycled materials to create community rooftop garden and centre dedicated to farming, green lifestyles and integrated neighbourhood engagement. Finally, Levi’s Amsterdam (by Como Park) is filled with old church benches, doors and other odds-and-ends, creating a vintage aesthetic.