The Wahaca Southbank Experiment by Softroom Architects and a mural by Tristan Manco; photo by Joseph Burns

Eight recycled shipping containers have been converted into a new pop-up branch of London’s popular Mexican eatery, Wahaca, by the London-based practice Softroom Architects. The brightly-coloured, riverfront structure was erected on Southbank, right in front of the contrastingly monolithic Queen Elizabeth Hall, to coincide with the Southbank Centre’s summer-long Festival of the World. Boasting a dining area spacious enough to accommodate 130 guests, the Wahaca Southbank Experiment will remain open until at least January 2014. (more…)

‘Tick’ by Jakob Schenk for Linie 58

Young German designer Jakob Schenk has realised this universal table leg system for his own, 2011-launched company Linie 58. Named ‘Tick’, the legs can be applied to virtually any board which in few easy steps can be converted into a one-of-a-kind table. Made of bent metal wire, ‘Tick’ is available in two widths and variety of finishes such as chrome coated or powder coated in semigloss black or white. (more…)

'NewspaperWood' by Mieke Meijer and Vij5

‘NewspaperWood’ is an ingenious upcycled material developed by the young designer and Eindhoven-graduate Meike Meijer who by gluing together multiple layers of old newspapers has reversed the traditional process of paper-making. (more…)

'Krattenkast' cabinet by Mark van der Gronden for Lensvelt

‘What we need is upcycling where old products are given more value not less,’ said Reiner Pilz of the German automation technology company Pilz GmbH in 1994, and by reusing multicolured, cast-off plastic crates which have no actual value on their own, Dutch designer Mark van der Gronden has given them a new purpose and, consequently, new value by creating his latest upcycled cabinet for the Breda-based manufacturer Lensvelt.

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