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Top 5: Repurposing Materials
As Chute Gerdeman's Material and Trend Specialist, Katie Clements is involved in all projects providing design support as a materials and color expert. She utilizes her vast knowledge and extensive library to present clients with well-considered selections for fabric, carpet, tile, wallcovering, lighting, furniture and any other special feature.As many of you know, my passion lies in the materials and finishes side of our projects. We have so many wonderful vendor friends who keep us updated on the latest and greatest, and I love checking out new material trends or this season’s hottest colors. I get especially excited when I see an ordinary material or object used in a unique way; to me, that’s where true creativity takes place. Repurposing is the best form of recycling, and it can help bring the budget down while keeping the impact up!
It’s in the (brown paper) bag
Owen is a hip clothing boutique located in New York City’s Meatpacking District. More than 25,000 brown paper bags (yes, the very same kind that we all used to carry our lunches to school) line one wall and continue across the ceiling to create a beautiful honeycomb texture. Adding a soft touch to a very industrial environment, the bags (which are stapled in place) are even treated with a non-toxic fire retardant.
Love it.
http://owennyc.com
Owen is a hip clothing boutique located in New York City’s Meatpacking District. More than 25,000 brown paper bags (yes, the very same kind that we all used to carry our lunches to school) line one wall and continue across the ceiling to create a beautiful honeycomb texture. Adding a soft touch to a very industrial environment, the bags (which are stapled in place) are even treated with a non-toxic fire retardant.
Love it.
http://owennyc.com
Yep, that’s cardboard!
There are so many uses for old cardboard, but few have found as many creative purposes as Carton Planet, an entire website dedicated to creating cool items out of this common and inexpensive material. My favorites are the “Checked” shades and the “Bloom” coffee table. The Bloom features a beautiful texture as the result of layers upon layers of cardboard, while the Checked lamp shades create truly mesmerizing patterns of light.
http://www.cartonplanet.com
There are so many uses for old cardboard, but few have found as many creative purposes as Carton Planet, an entire website dedicated to creating cool items out of this common and inexpensive material. My favorites are the “Checked” shades and the “Bloom” coffee table. The Bloom features a beautiful texture as the result of layers upon layers of cardboard, while the Checked lamp shades create truly mesmerizing patterns of light.
http://www.cartonplanet.com
Call me, maybe?
Retro is having a resurgence and you need to look no further than this art installation in Frankfurt, Germany, to see the varied and original forms this trend has taken. Jean-Luc Cornec created these sculptures a few years ago for the Museum of Telecommunications. The evolution of the telephone in just a single generation is truly amazing, and I just love that a totally obsolete (but dear to my heart!) object is used to create art. Curlicue phone cords make the perfect woolen coat, and even the feet are made of old phone receivers!
http://www.frankfurt.de/
Retro is having a resurgence and you need to look no further than this art installation in Frankfurt, Germany, to see the varied and original forms this trend has taken. Jean-Luc Cornec created these sculptures a few years ago for the Museum of Telecommunications. The evolution of the telephone in just a single generation is truly amazing, and I just love that a totally obsolete (but dear to my heart!) object is used to create art. Curlicue phone cords make the perfect woolen coat, and even the feet are made of old phone receivers!
http://www.frankfurt.de/
A New Era for Vinyl
Maya Romanoff is well known in the industry for creating beautiful and luxurious wallcoverings for high-end clients. You might remember (as I can’t forget) his wallcoverings of tiny glass beads or mother of pearl. Well, Maya has decided to create a similarly luxurious look but with vinyl. Sold under the Maya Romanoff Studio brand, these vinyl options are an affordable alternative that offer the durability retail applications require. My personal favorites are Oyster Bar, a take-off of the original Mother of Pearl, and Crystal Ball, which nicely mimics its predecessor, Bedazzled Geode Glass Beads.
http://www.mayaromanoffstudio.com
Maya Romanoff is well known in the industry for creating beautiful and luxurious wallcoverings for high-end clients. You might remember (as I can’t forget) his wallcoverings of tiny glass beads or mother of pearl. Well, Maya has decided to create a similarly luxurious look but with vinyl. Sold under the Maya Romanoff Studio brand, these vinyl options are an affordable alternative that offer the durability retail applications require. My personal favorites are Oyster Bar, a take-off of the original Mother of Pearl, and Crystal Ball, which nicely mimics its predecessor, Bedazzled Geode Glass Beads.
http://www.mayaromanoffstudio.com
The Best of What’s Left
David Best is a world-renowned sculptor who creates beautiful pieces of art by using the plywood scraps that result from the routing of wood during CNC template operations. What better way to repurpose one-dimensional “leftovers” than by transforming them into beautiful three-dimensional works of art! Best’s latest plywood masterpiece, “Bicentennial Towers,” is a part of Columbus temporary public art installation in celebration of the city’s Bicentennial. Prominently displayed at the Broad Street Bridge, the towers feature four unique designs but are a temporary installation, so check them out before it’s too late!
http://www.columbuspublicart.com
David Best is a world-renowned sculptor who creates beautiful pieces of art by using the plywood scraps that result from the routing of wood during CNC template operations. What better way to repurpose one-dimensional “leftovers” than by transforming them into beautiful three-dimensional works of art! Best’s latest plywood masterpiece, “Bicentennial Towers,” is a part of Columbus temporary public art installation in celebration of the city’s Bicentennial. Prominently displayed at the Broad Street Bridge, the towers feature four unique designs but are a temporary installation, so check them out before it’s too late!
http://www.columbuspublicart.com
In Other News...
Domino’s recently celebrated a major pizza milestone—the opening of their 9,999th store in San Diego, California—a location that features their brand new Chute Gerdeman-designed concept. [More]
In 2014, millennials will become the largest generation on the planet. Unlike the generations that came before them, millennials are truly a worldwide phenomenon. They’re more diverse than any previous cohort and have global reach, thanks to the Internet. Multi-cultural is the norm for this bunch. [More]
CG's resident intelligence experts headed to the Windy City for this year's 12th annual International Retail Design Conference, where the creative minds of store design, retail strategy and visual merchandising converge. Always on the lookout for common threads and surprising insights, we identified key takeaways from the conference to consider in the coming year. [More]
Chute Gerdeman has invited our key retailer and manufacturer partners to share their thinking on smartphone enhanced shopping in order to help shape the future. We invite you to share your expert opinion in Chute Gerdeman’s Mobile Technology & Shopping study. [More]
Gerdeblog, our very own inspirational design and trend blog, is our online platform for observations and points of view. Authored by the creative minds of Chute Gerdeman, Gerdeblog features opinions, attitudes and inspirations for all aspects of the retail, restaurant and cultural sectors. Topics include retail trends, consumer insights, points of view and new building materials, plus the occasional sneak peek into the daily lives of Chute Gerdeman team members.
[More]
In its continued quest to get inside the creative and business minds at Chute Gerdeman, The Gist sat down with David Birnbaum, Director of Architecture. [More]
Our President and Chief Creative Officer, Brian Shafley, is accruing some serious frequent flyer miles as he heads to Wiesbaden, Germany, to present at this year’s International Store Design Summit. Let us know if you’ll be there too so we can say, “Guten Tag!” [More]
Several Chute Gerdeman concepts and insights have recently been featured in the press. Read more about Domino's, HMSHost and insights from experienced Chuties. [More]
