October 2016

Upcycling

  • La déco où rien ne se perd
 
 Laurent Passe 2
Les cuisines de Laurent Passe font revivre le bois.
© Virginie Ovessian

At first sight, there's nothing sexy about recycling waste, yet plenty of artists are finding creative things to do with rubbish. Repurposing, upgrading or otherwise reclaiming unloved objects is right on trend!

 

Artists in Provence are taking inspiration from the upcycling trend. Making new from old and value from the valueless, it's a great outlet for eco-friendly creativity. It's cool, it's chic, it's green and it's right in tune with the ecodesign ethos.

 

Laurent Passe - Contemporary antiques
Laurent Passe was influenced by his parents from a very young age. They were antique experts and dealers, and Laurent started out restoring old furniture before moving on to sculpting in wood and stone. For the past six years he has been using his skills to create contemporary furniture and kitchens. Upcycling old materials is a leitmotif in his work. "I love repurposing materials that have been used in industry or house building, like planks and boards from bridges, carts or barns. For Provence Kitchen I used old shutters, Burgundy stone, zinc and bare metal."

8 rue de l'Enclos, 30300 Comps - Tél. 06 61 70 67 03

 

Charles Behrlé - From object to artwork
Charles Behrlé hails from Lille but has elected to settle himself and his talents in the heart of the Alpilles. He's a graduate of the Saint-Luc school of architecture in Belgium, where he specialised in visual arts and decoration; now he makes furniture and design objects. Each work is born of an encounter: for example, with a beam taken from an old roof structure, an old metal pedestal, or a transport crate abandoned after a delivery. Lamp stands with lampshades made of crumpled linen, couch hammocks and low tables emerge. The carcass of an old rowboat becomes a sofa, appropriately called La Barque. "I love the story that an old piece of wood tells me and I make every effort to conserve its soul in whatever I make from it," says Charles Behrlé. "It's out of the question to spoil its patina. The paradox is to design a new object whose very identity hinges on its oldness."

www.charlesbehrle.com- Tél. 07 81 89 80 90

 

Eco Fabrik - Salvaged stuff for added soul
Not all the remains in the ancient city of Arles are Gallo-Roman. The designers at Eco Fabrik work with used materials they get from their partners, such as wood from old transport boats, donated by the Arles harbour authority. They make slatted screens using old posts and pickets from the Camargue, while old wardrobes from the Hôtel Jules César get a whole new handsome life after sandblasting and re-finishing. Eco Fabrik's creations can be found at leading Camargue institutions and also across the Atlantic in New York. "After we fitted out the Maman restaurant in SoHo, the owners entrusted us with their TriBeCa eatery. We used some old French railways luggage trolleys to make seats for them." The essence of creative craft!

3 rue Gaspard Monge, 13200 Arles - Tél. 04 28 31 32 93

 

Sandrine Lacaze Upcycling - New life for vintage fabrics
What drives Sandrine Lacaze is her love of beautiful but abandoned things. For a year now she's been building up a collection based mainly on retro fabrics picked up here and there: old canvas, fringed braid from antiquated parasols, moth-eaten deck chairs reborn as one-of-a-kind items. She makes cushions on the home-making side and accessories and bags on the fashion side. "I mix forgotten fabrics and a few new materials. I really enjoyed bringing brightly-coloured old terry towels back to life for the Transat line and making bags out of old army kit bags," says this quintessentially creative upcycler.

La République des créateurs - 26 rue de la République, 13001 Marseille
Tél. 06 10 67 83 12

 

Greg & Co - Diverted from purpose
Upcycling is Greg's second passion. Cabinet-maker by trade and second-hand goods man by conviction, his delight is to hunt out a rare object, repurpose a piece of furniture or create new from old. He designs or makes to order furniture that fits into any style of interior. Street lighting, factory furniture, architect chairs, brand furniture ... he takes over their forms and identities and adapts them for elegance and comfort in the home. "Although I work with noble materials, I want my creations to be affordable," he says. The idea of turning his 180m2 shop-cum-workshop into a real living space rather than a warehouse came from Corine, the "&Co." of Greg & Co. As well as decoration advice and her selection of ambience objects she makes her own line of chic, minimalist lighting. Greg also fitted out Lofts du Vieux Port, creating an atmosphere that mingles bygone times with childhood memories.

35 rue Neuve Sainte Catherine, 13007 Marseille - Tél. 06 16 30 23 75