Westminster-based social entrepreneurs want us to see waste differently as they turn left over material from demolition sites into designer furniture.
Co-founders Jeremy Hulse, 36, and Sophie-Claire Turner, 41, are exhibiting at the London Design Festival showcasing furniture that has all been made using materials from a nearby construction site, including three tonnes of usable oak wood.
The pair partnered with construction companies working at the site on Museum Street in Soho where an old Travelodge hotel is being demolished to select suitable materials to shape into stylish home furnishings.
For Turner, the work brings a sense of perspective on how we view the objects around us.
She said: “There is so much history in a lot of these materials, and still so much use in them and it seems such a shame that they just go to landfill. What we are trying to do is see the inherent beauty in these materials.”
The entrepreneurs want to help people to think about how we use waste materials and promote hyper-local reuse where designers can work with construction companies to help them meet sustainability targets and social value commitments.
The pair believe their approach will require a shift in perspective from both consumers and the constructions industry.
Hulse said: “The industry is quite old school, and there is a bit of a trend now towards more considerate disposable techniques, but reuse is still super low.
“Most of the repurposed material is either recycled or downcycled, so for example the scrap metal will get melted down. What we are interested in is working with the characteristics of the materials and trying to preserve them.”
Both Hulse and Turner had previously been working in the sustainability industry supporting climate tech start up companies and decided to work on the project together when they faced redundancy last year.
Hulse is a graduate of the Royal College of Art and worked with fellow designers to shape the furniture on display.
Once the London Design Festival is over, Hulse and Turner hope to work with other designers and construction companies working at the tender stage to help companies meet their social commitments.
They also hope that young designers will be excited by the opportunities that waste materials can provide.
Hulse said: “We have collected over three tonnes of oak from this site and that is too much for me to use…. but could be an interesting design brief for someone else.”
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