SubscribeSign In
z
Collection by Zach Edelson

Strange Salvaged Materials and Objects in Modern Homes

From World War II steel buoys to bowling lanes, these 8 modern dwellings feature some peculiar elements rooted in the past.

View 8 Photos
Layer by layer, this crumbling 18th-century flat in the middle of Barcelona found new life at the hands of architect Benedetta Tagliabue. Paths of Andalusian tile and intervening plaster walls help to delineate space in the expansive apartment, which is centered around an internal entry courtyard. The armchair, designed by Peter and Alison Smithson, is covered in a Josef Frank textile from Just Scandinavian. The white piece just behind it is a repurposed Austrian stove that’s now used as a storage device.
Layer by layer, this crumbling 18th-century flat in the middle of Barcelona found new life at the hands of architect Benedetta Tagliabue. Paths of Andalusian tile and intervening plaster walls help to delineate space in the expansive apartment, which is centered around an internal entry courtyard. The armchair, designed by Peter and Alison Smithson, is covered in a Josef Frank textile from Just Scandinavian. The white piece just behind it is a repurposed Austrian stove that’s now used as a storage device.
Cor-Ten steel from a ship building yard clads the new structure, which connects via a glass “bridge” to a rebuilt stone farmhouse containing the bedrooms.
Cor-Ten steel from a ship building yard clads the new structure, which connects via a glass “bridge” to a rebuilt stone farmhouse containing the bedrooms.
The bespoke sideboard (hiding the stairway to the basement) and the kitchen table were both built from wood sourced from a school science laboratory, while the sliding door that fronts the sideboard was salvaged from the National Museum of Scotland.
The bespoke sideboard (hiding the stairway to the basement) and the kitchen table were both built from wood sourced from a school science laboratory, while the sliding door that fronts the sideboard was salvaged from the National Museum of Scotland.
The kitchen island is a mahogany museum display case containing the clients’ inherited snuff-box collection. Now topped with salvaged iroko hardwood from a school science laboratory, it has also been adapted to hold a sink and washer.
The kitchen island is a mahogany museum display case containing the clients’ inherited snuff-box collection. Now topped with salvaged iroko hardwood from a school science laboratory, it has also been adapted to hold a sink and washer.
The upstairs bathroom was fitted with a skylight over the shower, adding light and spaciousness to the small room. Locally made Heath tiles line the new shower, and a marble slab salvaged from wainscot at Brooks Brothers in San Francisco now serves as the vanity top. Bamboo light fixtures add warmth.
The upstairs bathroom was fitted with a skylight over the shower, adding light and spaciousness to the small room. Locally made Heath tiles line the new shower, and a marble slab salvaged from wainscot at Brooks Brothers in San Francisco now serves as the vanity top. Bamboo light fixtures add warmth.
With exposed fir framing and clay plastered walls, the spacious dining room is the new social focus of the house. The custom dining table was created from salvaged bowling lanes. Connecting the home to the garden was a high priority, and a 14-foot-wide multi-fold door completely opens the dining room to the outdoors, while shading the interior space from the western sun.
With exposed fir framing and clay plastered walls, the spacious dining room is the new social focus of the house. The custom dining table was created from salvaged bowling lanes. Connecting the home to the garden was a high priority, and a 14-foot-wide multi-fold door completely opens the dining room to the outdoors, while shading the interior space from the western sun.
An existing home in San Francisco was renovated by architect George Bradley as his home with Eddie Baba, an attorney. The house was reconfigured to accommodate the entrance on the second floor, but the couple retained the in-law unit as a rental but shrunk it from two floors to one, creating space in which to carve out an office and a guest bedroom on the bottom floor of the main house.
An existing home in San Francisco was renovated by architect George Bradley as his home with Eddie Baba, an attorney. The house was reconfigured to accommodate the entrance on the second floor, but the couple retained the in-law unit as a rental but shrunk it from two floors to one, creating space in which to carve out an office and a guest bedroom on the bottom floor of the main house.