We love salvaging timbers. Both decorative and plain mouldings bring a wealth of potential.
Adam says —
What particulary drew me to this batch of timber was the inclusion of London Plane; a timber I hadn’t seen used to make decorative architraves before. The known provenance and date was also attractive.
The architrave and mouldings offer an uncomplicated and cost effective way to add originality and texture to your project. They are sitting here at Retrouvius, ready made and ready to go — a painless solution to your decoration needs.
James, one of our studio architects says:
Design Potential:
Look to create a pattern. All architrave has a thin profile and a mitred edge; advantageous when putting together to create frames, to house mirrored panels for example.
Uses:
The simple structure of architrave can create the illusion of depth when combined with other timbers in joinery projects. Furniture such as ottomans and desk edges will all be enriched with a salvaged profile edge.
Tips for a positive reuse experience:
Embrace the natural patina of the salvaged timbers and pass this advice to your joiner. Avoid sanding back too far and try and select your batch of timbers with consistent quality.
With reclaimed rails, make straight runs and intersperse with new curved elements. Its almost impossible to find a curved handrail that will work in your space.
Artist Nika Neelova spoke to us about her approach to using reclaimed handrail in our Taking Stock series —
“I think of my work as cutting into the fabric of the world, undoing some strands and weaving them together into something else. I don’t think anything ever truly begins or ends. Salvage simply allows the lifetime of an object to continue in another direction.”
Retrouvius are always salvaging timbers. Some require more imagination in their reuse than others… such was the case with a batch of reclaimed timber spindles. In this instance our solution was to create the vertical elements on a staircase balustrade.
We’re always looking to bring imagination and play into a space and these C19th turned elements bring a sense of the handmade into what might otherwise be a fairly functional transitory space.
(above) #2107 Carved Wooden Banisters see more…
Remember, whenever there is something odd — it can be a design advantage. This blast from the past: an exhibition with designers Martino Gamper and Rainer Spehl in 1997 titled We Make Remake.
Martino & Rainer’s starting point is seeing value in rejected items. Objects previously discarded are recreated into individual and unique pieces in which the mix and availability of materials reveal the final aesthetic. The pieces of furniture are rapidly conceived and executed resulting in spontaneous 3-D sketches. The pieces are quirky combinations of disparate and unusual elements with jewel-like details creating truly refreshing furniture – the antithesis of the precious pieces usually associated with the label ‘designer’.
