"Repurposing Objects": Eclectic Interior Design Group.

Sidney Wagner from Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, heard about my quest for slow design ideas and sent me several of her own. Repurposing objects is a passion that serves Sidney well as the owner of her full-service interior design firm (http://www.eclectic-idg.com/).


Her first example of repurposing is a vintage roll of wallpaper as a lamp.

Next, a metal object found at an antique mall. Sidney had legs soldered on and painted it a cream color to make a coffee table for her sun porch. (See photos below.)

And an old Dutch grate that currently serves as a decorative piece on built-in bookshelves, but Sidney envisions it as a possible wall sconce or pot rack.

Lighting: an old banister as table lamps.

It's overwhelming to think about the millions of objects you can turn into lamps: vases, oil lamps, table legs, even parts of a wooden banister, which is what you see here.

The estimated cost for refurbishing the banister as lamps is about $150, and that doesn't include the cost of the harps and shades. Mr. Wesley Locklair in Darlington, South Carolina, did the work.

Company Profile: Elva Fields Jewelry.

Elva Fields Jewelry (elvafields.com) has a collection of "green," handmade jewelry called "Deb." The eco-friendly pieces consist of "recycled" vintage jewelry. The design to the left is a necklace of vintage etched link chain with a 1960s goldtone flower brooch pendant with 1940s Trifari leaves.

Elva Fields's owner/designer, Emily Wheat Maynard, started her company in 2003. She scours local and far-flung markets, auctions, and shops for unusual vintage and antique pieces to use in all three of the Elva Fields lines—Elva, June, and Deb—which are named for the artist’s great-grandmother, grandmother, and mother, respectively. The treasured finds are then reconfigured and incorporated in unexpected, timeless designs. One might find a strand of old paste pearls with an antique carved ivory brooch as its pendant, or a 1930s Bakelite belt buckle clasping glittering chains from just a decade later.
To check out more Elva Fields's designs, please visit elvafields.com.

Spacesavers: an old mantle finds a new use.

This refurbished mantle found a new use as a coat rack. In a home with three young children, using this mantle means not only having a place to hang jackets and backpacks, but it also provides an excellent surface for storing and stacking.

Flooring: from wood scraps to tiles.

Slow Design mirrors the Slow Home movement (http://www.theslowhome.com/), and Oak Ridge Farm in Darlington, South Carolina, is a first-rate example of a slow home.

Oak Ridge Farm has numerous Slow Design features, including its dining room tiles which were made from heart pine wood scraps. The tiles are grouted, which is an unusual detail.


These tiles were designed by the owner of Oak Ridge Farm and inspired by a floor in an antique store in San Francisco. The California floor had previously been in a chateau in France and it was made from heart pine and fruitwood.

About Rethink and Reuse

There’s a movement out there called “Slow Design” and, ironically, it’s catching on rapidly. Slow Design is founded on the same principles as the Slow Food movement: design with social responsibility and environmental sustainability in mind and, obviously, take your time.

In the spirit of all things green, Rethink and Reuse pays homage to home design and decorating ideas that fall under the Slow Design umbrella. In everyday speak: this site honors turning something old into something new.

Readers are encouraged to submit their ideas via email to rethinkandreuse@gmail.com. Photos are a must!