by Sam Bath

In commercial interiors, we often design what is new, shiny and en vogue. As humans, we are wired to novelty. 'Our brains respond a lot stronger to things we’ve never experienced before. As much as three to five times stronger,’ says Dr. Sylvain Moreno, Associate Professor of Neuroscience at SFU, and so often we overlook repurposing items first port of call. Imagine being in a pitch and the designers are showing you exactly what you already have, even if the finish is changed, would it spark your imagination, make them stand out or would what you had 10 years ago even be suitable today?

Waste not, want not:

Did you know: ‘22 million pieces of furniture are discarded each year in the UK, and the
majority of this furniture is sent directly to landfill’ as per The North London Waste
Authority’s recent report. 

That ‘1.6 million tonnes of bulky waste – 42% of which is furniture and 19% textiles,
equating to a total of 670,000 tonnes of furniture and 310,000 tonnes of textiles waste is disposed by householders in the UK annually and sent to landfill’ according to Wrap.

In another piece ‘30% of adults throw away household items that could have been
donated, sold or reused and a fifth of 16-24-year-olds don’t actually know how to recycle or donate, according to new research from The British Heart Foundation.’

It’s on us:

With Environmental, social and governance being more important now than ever, it is
up to us as designers, consultants and custodians of spaces to make sure that
‘repurpose’ is not just an afterthought or something done because of budget constraints but at the forefront of future schemes.

I think this is particularly true in ‘Design and Build’. D&B is historically associated with cookie cutter design, speed over style and maximising margins with circularity playing 2nd fiddle. Whilst the industry has moved on, with some firms delivering projects any designer would be proud of the next step in evolution would actually be looking back to the past. You can walk round Clerkenwell/ Farringdon every weekday and see teams leading furniture tours but how many of them are visiting 2nd Hand or antique dealers? Even better which manufacturers are pushing a buy back and re-love scheme. We need to try and change the narrative by not only giving this approach a seat at the table but making it intrinsic to the way we design.

How do we do it?

Re-Education: This starts with us. How can we expect end users to get behind circularity if we aren’t ourselves. Can we truly say we are pushing the idea if it is not part of every conversation we are having when designing spaces. Do we truly know the impact of our choices and do we even know where to start when wanting to re-use, re-upholster and re-purpose.

Re-Purpose: 2nd Hand, Preloved and Used are often seen as dirty words with the products often being thought of as old, unwanted and unfit for purpose. However we are starting to see a narrative shift in other areas, A report from The Ethical Consumer and Co-Operative Bank in 2023 states: ‘second-hand clothing sales have soared by nearly 50% as consumers shun fast-fashion in favour of ethical alternatives. Pre-loved purchases have climbed to £1.2 billion with online marketplaces such as Depop and Vinted experiencing a surge in second-hand listings.* Meanwhile, separately, charity shop visits have become more frequent than ever before, leading to a phenomenal 147% rise in sales.’ We need to follow in the footsteps of the anti-fast fashion movements and be harnessing trusted platforms like Curiouz, where we challenge the industry’s status quo and show that making a sustainable impact doesn’t sacrifice style or personality.

Re-Use: If we truly consider ourselves storytellers through interiors then is it not better to allow the client to bring part of their history with them in an ongoing tale. I like to see
furniture as a tangible piece of marketing, pieces can tell the world a lot about a business; colour choice can dictate sector, style can dictate targeted clientele and reuse can show a level of care and thought often disregarded in interior schemes.

Final Thoughts

A new space doesn’t have to mean we let go of the past. It’s down to us to redefine how to curate, navigate and rotate the future of furniture.