Recycling Centre Treasures.

I’m a huge fan of the 60s style furniture and 60s furniture that has been re-vamped. Recently I’ve been looking at images online and designs of different types of old furniture being re-loved and given a modern twist.

I really want to do this particularly with a chair. I’m going to keep visiting the recycling centre until I find the right one to take home.

Here are a few designs I like and will be taking inspiration from:

Zoe Murphy.

Zoe Murphy is a British designer making her mark on used furniture. She’s updating “retro with retro” you can read more about her in an interview on WeHeart.co.uk. I love the way the original is merged with the new and not spoiled. The new and old work well and compliment each other making it seem as though it has always been that way. The detail inside the drawers is also fab!

Charlotte Love.

These chairs are maybe my favourite they look so simple to re-create and are really beautiful. Charlotte Love an interior stylist (amongst other things) has styled this pretty, pastel coloured photo shoot and included these chairs.

101 Woonideeen.

This table and chair was featured in an issue of Dutch magazine '101 Woonideeen'. The table top design has been made using a Spirograph. You can find out how to make it yourself here. I really like the sharp shots of neon on the side of the table leg and rim of the table top, it makes the piece really playful and fun without being over powering. 

Recycling in Seattle.

Recently at university we watched the video "Story of Stuff" by Annie Leonard. It was about how much stuff we buy and how much we waste and how this cycle of buying and wasting is affecting our planet. This got me thinking about how much I recycle and how we all can be encouraged to do more?
I recycle the basics and by basics I mean my empty water bottles and wine bottles. To be honest I'm not even sure what's supposed to go in that little green box they gave us. I'm sure there are a lot of people like me who don't really know what to do when it comes to recycling. It's not just good enough to tell someone to recycle, I think we all need to be taught to recycle or at least be made aware of what and how to recycle. Maybe the U.K. should try encouraging people more and taking a few pointers from Seattle.




Seattle was voted the most "green" city in the U.S. by the Natural Resources Defence Council. It's the greenest city for a number of reasons; it uses hydroelectric power for about 90% of its electrical demands, it has a successful car pool system and has comprehensive recycling and sustainable resource use practices. But why does recycling in Seattle work?
Well they have informative posters which make it clear what to recycle where.




They are also told to, "Keep Recycling Out of Garbage." and "Keep Garbage out of Recycling." If they don't keep the garbage out of the recycling residents will get a warning and if it is excessively contaminated with garbage it won't be picked up. If they don't keep the recycling out of the garbage and garbage containers contain more than 10% of recyclables then it will not be emptied and they will be left instructions to remove the recyclables before the next collection. If the instructions aren't followed they will be charged!

Maybe the U.K. needs a more active system like this one. I suppose it is kind of threatening people to recycle or pay up but maybe people will respond better to that than nothing at all. I guess we should be prepared because sooner or later we are all going to have to pay the price.