Salvaged materials re-purposed to create beautiful interiors
Before pictures above
Images above are various doors, Shutters, window grills, re-salvaged timber flooring and furniture drawers that have been re-purposed and incorporated into new interior projects illustrated below.
The completed projects
The Aim
There are so many interesting and unique creative solutions to be realised by incorporating salvaged materials into an interior project. I have been using architectural salvage in my residential projects for over a decade. It started when I was working on the interior refurbishment of a late 19th century apartment in the Kreuzberg area of Berlin. Many of the original features had been stripped out at some point over the years and I really wanted to put back a few old elements in order to reintroduce some character. The concept for the apartment was very contemporary but I wanted to contrast that with something old.
The Search
After a lot of research I discovered the city had a few architectural salvage yards and so began the search and the love affair. I focused first of all on doors and old tiles and managed to find some magnificent tall slim doors that had come out of an old city centre hotel. These doors are part glazed which is a bonus as they allow much needed daylight into the hallway. The next lucky find were some beautiful late 19th century tiles for the shower room floor, these would contrast well with the beige limestone tiles that we wanted to use on the walls.
Approach
The best approach is to decide the areas with-in your project where you could incorporate a salvaged element as a feature or replace some bland modern doors with something with character.
This is what I have done on a recent project in Edinburgh. I replaced the internal doors with part glazed doors that came from an old hospital and school. These allow light to filter through out the flat and create a wonderful sense of openness.
The same project was crying out for a feature wall in the new living room and my idea was to panel the wall either using old doors or window shutters. This can create a strong architectural element instantly and give the room a completely new identity. Following a successful afternoon searching through the treasure trove that is the Glasgow Architectural salvage yard. A pair of internal wooden shutters were found that were the perfect size and proportion to work with the wall I had in mind. I also managed to find 3 internal part glazed doors again the correct size to fit the existing openings.
Endless Solutions
There are endless ways that these once cherished interior and sometimes exterior elements can be reused. Its all down to using your imagination or seeking design expertise and advice. I have used old metal widow grills as internal screens to separate areas with-in an open plan living area, shutters and doors can be used as screens or to create wall panels for feature areas in a bland room or hallway.
Salvaged materials can be re purposed for many uses, I have used vintage drawers to create new pieces of furniture and old railway sleepers to form water features and areas of hard landscaping in a garden. Hence there are no limits to the ways these materials can be used to create imaginative and unique interiors.