The success story of the now iconic Freitag brand started with a realization of the potential value of scrap. Biking around Zürich, two brothers, Markus and Daniel Freitag, identified a problem in need of a solution: they needed a handy messenger bag that would endure the varied weather conditions of Switzerland… Living in an apartment […]
So winter´s coming…In the white winters of the Northern hemisphere, this means it´s time for skiing, ice-skating and other fun stuff. But, it so happens that for doing all this fun stuff, you really need well, a lot of stuff. And, as innovation, especially of ski making, is progressing every year, countless pairs of skis […]
Knots, knitting, crochet & macrame are a bundle of ancient techniques all creating repetitive structures from jointing thread or rope. For some DIY inspiration check out the macrame supplies retailer KingsKountry website or simply do some Googling! What so neat about these techniques is that is opens up for material re-use as the thread or […]
This is a really great D.I.Y Christmas gift idea! The PET Bottle Purse can fill many everyday needs and consists of PET bottle cut-offs and a zipper…The product was designed by Zitta Schnitt back in 2004. Her website features a great D.I.Y step-by-step tutorial (available for download – here), guiding illustrations from her tutorial is […]
This idea has great D.I.Y potential should you be so lucky to have a home with some kind of stairway…Climbing stairs is often a bore…Could flirty, encouraging words make it less boring? Concept store Opening Ceremony gives the latter strategy a try, and has clad a crimson red stairway with flirty opening lines, making climbing […]
Artist Sarah Frost creates found object and found form sculpture. Her Qwerty Sculptures consist of thousands (and thousands…) of keys from old qwerty keyboards…It´s a multifaceted ScrapHack, filled with any kind of meaning you want it to be. Sarah´s Qwerty work travels the world, a permanent installation can be found @ The James hotel in […]
I smell D.I.Y potential…Seen here is a great way to make use of a set of odd chairs…A large part of the chair is reused, yet with a result so different from the orignal pieces – this is one clever ScrapHack! The benches are made by Brooklyn based ”31 and Change”, they make a lot […]
Estonian furniture makers/brand Derelict makes these cool pieces from reclaimed wood. Combining the old, salvaged material with new, crisp and clever design makes them a great ScrapHacker role model…Let the pieces inspire some D.I.Y action of your own. To read more about Derelict, head to their Facebook Fan Page here. All pics featured here are […]
Anthropologie has always had a knack for discovering cool new furniture design with a upcycling twist. Right now on show @ the Chelsea Market location is a set of furniture by designer/artist Draga Obradovic. Her designs often include writing on upholstered furniture (this idea was also spotted @ upcycling company Terracycle´s HQ interior). My Obradovic […]
It might not have occurred to you that old flip flops is part of a environmental problem…But actually, thousands of discarded flip-flops wash up on the African shorelines, burdening the natural eco system. Discarded flip flops disturb the eco-system in various ways: they spoil the natural beauty of the beaches, threy are mistakenly swallowed by […]
In the ScrapHacker blog i´ve previously featured tons of D.I.Y pallet furniture ideas, including Top 10 pallet Coffee Table Ideas, Pallet Coffee Table D.I.Y instructions, Top 15 Pallet Sofa Ideas, D.I.Y instructions for a Pallet Sofa Bed, D.I.Y Pallet Dining Tables…In order to make the palette of pallet home ideas complete, I figured I should […]
If I had to select my favorite ScrapHack of all times, the Favela Painting Project by Jeroen Koolhaas and Dre Urhahn (as a team also known as Haas&Hahn) would be it – it´s simple, heart-warming and hands-on. The fantastic project aims at transforming Rio´s slum ”favelas” into a works of art, boosting the confidence, and […]
Being a fan of both great business models and of great design, I feel all fuzzy and warm inside when thinking about Terracycle, also known as the company started by ”that worm poop guy”. The real name of ”that worm poop guy” is Tom Szaky. Szaky and buddy Jon Beyer started the Terracycle venture back […]
EtsyLabs, a part of Etsy´s HQ space in Brooklyn’s Dumbo, hosts regular craft and inspiration nights. Participants are asked to register online, and are welcome to the labs free of charge. As a guest you´re given access to a creative haven with an excitingly broad range of materials and tools… The mix of people is […]
I went to the Meat Ball Shop in Williamsburg the other day. The place is full of scrappy chic looks and hack inspiration as well as great food…My favorite hack are the vintage kitchen utensils hung on the wall by the entrance. Against the white wall background they appear as cooler than cool sculptures. The […]
The wonderful ”You Can´t Lay Down your Memory” chest of drawers is made out of 20 odd salvaged drawers and held together by a simple buckled canvas strap. I made the acquaintance of the genius hack at MoMa´s design exhibition on the 3rd floor. The design is by Tejo Remy for Droog and feels more […]
There´s more to NYC´s Guggenheim than its pretty face (the fantastical shell like structure designed by Frank Lloyd Wright). The lightfilled interior, with the swirling movement layout, currently exhibits a intriguing installation by art world bad-boy Maurizio Cattelan. From my own ScrapHacking point of view, this installation truly shows the successful fusion of scrap and […]
The craft of beading has been around in all ages and in all places…Actually, using beads to create patterned objects through the meditative practices of beading appear near instinctual. The roots are most likely to be found in the urge for adornment, stemming from the the very simple driving force of human vanity. Wonderful pieces […]
”The power of making is a celebration of the empowering nature of making and the human instinct to create.” Walking into the exhibition Power of Making @ the V&A museum yesterday was like walking into my own head…Just like I am – along with a lot of you people reading this post – the exhibition […]
Yesterday I passed by the H&M Knightsbridge (London) location…Even though I was in a rush to go somewhere, my curiosity made me enter the store – I simply couldn´t resist the visual temptation of the stunning ”string sculptures” hanging from the high-rised ceiling. The structures are all made from differently sized, square metal X-shaped frames […]
In these micro-woven take-away times, the silent witnesses of the home-made, by-gone era often end up in masses in thrift shops and at the salvage yard… Old brioche tins, pie dishes and enamel colanders are easy to find…and easy to re-make. Let these great examples from fab scrap hacking Etsy vendor Flea Market Rx (by […]
Got some copper pipe, some nylon zips, some tempered glass and a lot of patience? If so, I think you should give this cool hack ”The Ultra Conductive Table” a go! The design is by Brooklyn-based Paul Loebach, who successfully combines his ScrapHacker´ eye for potential with the skill to act on it… This side […]
Feast your eyes to these pieces of eye candy – details from a window display of the Anthropologie Store @ Chelsea Market, NYC. The scrap wood collage is made from various pieces of spline all matched together with mating 45° cut edges to form a tight and contained effect. Acheiving that kind of precision might […]
Lets go back to basics people…Where better to start than with the basic log? Logs are pretty much as basic as it gets, and they´re universally recognizable due what is practically a worldwide supply…As material for building, they´ve been around forever..making modern plastics and composites look like temporary fads…The accessibility and the basic, solid features […]
Got some old plastic tubes, or perhaps some old denim? Some ideas on how to make better use of them were seen @ the Scrap Lab Website. The denim chair is clever in a multitude of ways, firstly, being made of discarded denim ticks one box…Secondly, the denim seat is detachable denim and can be […]
I´ve previously shared ideas seen at the Wes Bennett Etsy store, like the great upcycled gym room lockers…This is yet another of his great hacks – a chalkboard lamp which creates a great unexpected medium for creative expression…As always, every detail of Wes´ creation is cleverly hacked…The lamps are made from large, up-cycled planter pots […]
I find it really fascinating that something as standardized as a shipping pallet can rock so many varying looks simply depending on the finishing touches! Whatever your style preferences, rest assured – you can create a pallet sofa to suit your very own aesthetic and functional needs. If you´re feeling a D.I.Y urge, check out […]
This is a versatile D.I.Y idea and a way to make use of books that you´re not reading anyway…. All you need 1.) a top and a bottom plate with 2 centered slots through which 2.) a strap can be thread to wrap the base consisting of a pile of books. Lastly, you will need […]