Secondhandwerk

Work with what you have.

'Secondhandwerk' represents a modern twist on traditional craftsmanship, transcending conventional notions of reuse and recycling.

This approach fosters new material supply chains, industries, and sustainable design practices. By redefining our understanding of materials, Secondhandwerk has the potential to reshape economic cycles, making them more adaptable to future scenarios. It underscores the importance of the circular economy, emphasising the value of repurposing and reusing existing resources. The following examples demonstrate innovative modular furniture designs crafted from found, used, and repurposed materials.

Room Divider to Window Blind

An old room divider has been transformed into a Japanese-style window. A broken screen now serves as a privacy screen, featuring rice paper that creates a translucent surface inspired by traditional shoji windows.

The original flexible parts have been securely joined and mounted on a wooden rail, with an elastic band attaching the screen to the window's rear. The rice paper allows for diffuse lighting while preserving natural daylight, and the minimalist design integrates seamlessly into various living spaces.

Bare connections support quick adaptations

This desk concept can be reduced in size as needed while offering storage on two levels. A fold-out extension allows for an expanded work surface, and the design facilitates easy installation and removal of cables and devices.

Open structures ensure easy access to necessary utensils, with integrated holders for backpacks and laptops. Initially, the object grew with the space it inhabited and will continue to do so. Therefore, it will probably never be finished.

Tension belts as means of stability

The so called Berliner Hocker is a simple and adaptable piece of furniture, ideal for various living scenarios. This construction combines several Berliner Hocker stools with two boards and four castors, secured with a tensioning strap.

The result is a practical and unique storage solution on wheels, promoting the reuse of the stools while providing a convenient way to store clothing.

IKEA as a source for readymades

Take four boxes from IKEA's Knagglig series, add a few screws, some caster wheels, a simple lid, and a piece of upcycled upholstery strap—and you’ve built yourself a mobile storage unit that’s as practical as it is purposeful. Working with what's already out there—standardized, mass-produced elements like IKEA crates—becomes a form of craft. It’s not about reinventing the wheel, but rather giving it new direction. Not to mention how much time can be saved by using things that are already there instead of starting from scratch.

The IKEA boxes are designed to stack neatly, interlocking through careful alignment and the subtle assist of gravity. These features make this piece super modular, expandable when you need more space, adaptable when you don’t. The lid itself folds over in way so that it sits parallel to the back of its box when opened, saving space and wasting none.

Sure, you have to buy all these parts if you don't have them lying around, but in the end it should work with any kind of box. Maybe this project could use a step further by utilizing objects, that are meant to be thrown away or are already past their normal use cycle.

Other Works