old tea sets recycled and reused

I recently read on Inhabitat about british designer Christine Misiak who exhibited at 100% Futures at the London Design Festival. Christine reuses old teapots in a couple of different ways. For some teapots she finds that are rusted and in poor surface condition, she refinishes them and paints them a solid, modern color which makes them instantly fresh and appealing. For others, she detaches the ornate handles and lids, and combines them with new bodies that she makes. In both cases, the juxtaposition of classic elements and new treatment make them beautiful and fun. Reuse is the often overlooked member of the recycle-reduse-reuse trio. There is so much stuff in the world, it’s hardly necessary to always buy newly made things when something must be acquired. Reusing things, from reconditioning tea sets to simply buying a cool used “retro” chair at a thrift store which requires a minimum of additional resources to be used, depending on how/if it is reconditioned, is always the most eco-friendly way to shop. You also get something more unique, with a lot of that famous attribute of retro-thrifty goods: character.

[images from Christine’s flickr set]

Posted by Thryn | Filed under great ideas, handmade, kitchen, recycled |