Sustainable environment is the key to a secure future for human beings. Everyone owes something to the environment. However, there are some people who convert their passion into environment-friendly solutions that fulfill both utilitarian and aesthetic purposes. Katie Thompson is one such person. Katie recreates a range of attractive furniture, lighting and interior accessories from recycled goods. The remarkable feature of her creations is the distinct novelty they portray while still holding on to the essence of the previous material from which the piece is designed.
The designer
A graduate with distinction from the Design Time School of Interior Design, Cape Town, Katie uses her unique South African craftsmanship to convert pieces of junk into furniture and many more interior accessories that adore the homes. She has seven years of experience in the field and has established âRecreateâ, the brand for exquisite recycled pieces.
If you are wondering what lead to âRecreateâ, it was this gifted designerâs imagination to convert something as mundane as a discarded umbrella into a coveted piece of interior accessory. You can find the everyday weighing machine from your kitchen converted into a beautiful functional clock, frying basket transformed into flower vase, and much more.
Green treasure
Umbrellas, suitcases, buckets, tripod stands, mannequins, there are several pieces of discarded junk that meet their savior in Katie. She combines her impeccable taste and artistic touch to go beyond the boundaries of styling and designing. Perhaps this is what gives her design a distinctive look, finish and feel. Take for instance the range of elegant chairs made using discarded vintage suitcases that are rare to come by. Combining the suitcases with green velvet damask, natural embroidered fabric, leather and a host of other products these chairs suit different temperaments and tastes.
Browse through Katieâs products and you will be left pleasantly surprised at every step. Milk pails converted into stools and rusty bath tubs reformed into a fabulous ottoman only seem to be a beginning.
Hat box is another item that Katie has converted into an ottoman. Complete with wooden support and well matched upholstery you can sit on as well as store in this piece of furniture.
There are quite a few innovative pieces in the storage section too. An old oven converted into a cupboard is one such. An art deco teak has been converted into another storage space with an inlay of Patridge Wood. When it comes to tables, Katieâs imagination has run riots. She has used pieces such as hospital trolley, a crate box and filing cabinets to manufacture functional tables.
Katieâs forte is not just limited to furniture as mentioned earlier too. You can only marvel at the range of junk Katie has used to create the lighting accessories. If you are the adventurous type with a bit of taste for the unusual Katieâs lighting range is alluring. Who would have thought that a vintage Remington typewriter can be decked up to become a desktop lamp? But, at Recreate this is given ample thought. Katie has even used an old bottle to create a classic lamp.
The Fab Factor
You cannot help but feel the meticulous designs, superb finishing and artistic genius that have gone into transforming the non-functional junk into functional items. The designs are classic yet ultramodern in their own right.
So, next time when you walk into a house and find a mannequin doubling up as a classy lamp, you would know from where it has come. Katieâs store, Recreate is truly giving a new meaning to green lifestyle by creating products from junk which would otherwise be lying around uselessly, waiting to be recycled at some point of time.