Design in Salvaged Matter

The New Alchemy: Design in Reclaimed / Upcycled Materials

"I don't see things as 'old' or 'broken', I see them as having a past that is waiting to speak to the present", says the London-based designer Rio Kobayashi. In his sun-drenched workshop, a pair of nineteenth-century Victorian doors isn't destined for a skip; they are being carefully re-angled into the hull of a sculptural dining table. Kobayashi’s philosophy — to "bring their past lives into conversation with the present" (as noted in his 2023 Manus exhibition) — is the heartbeat of a movement that is rapidly redefining global luxury....