TOMMASO PETILLO UP-CYCLES OBJECTS INTO UNIQUE FURNITURE

We’re big fans of up-cycling, and one of the best ways to up-cycle is to marry completely unrelated objects. Tommaso Petillo does this successfully.

The Italian-born Glasgow-based product designer studied at Glasgow School of Art. He believes in simplicity, which comes across in his designs.

The Zoom lamp is constructed using a reclaimed motorcycle engine. Painted a shade of bright red, the engine block provides the perfect base for a statement lamp, with just enough detail to make it interesting. The original machined metal finish is visible at the edges, adding to the industrial nature of the piece.

This is great use of disused material, which would otherwise be melted down.

Elsewhere in his works, Tommaso has a peculiar sofa made out of a roll-top bathtub.

The tub, being made from cast iron, provides an unlikely but stable platform for a sofa. One slice is cut away leaving a natural seating shape, painted bright red but the original white on the inside, held up by the original legs which have been painted yellow. With the addition of some tastefully patterned cushioning, and a timber side shelf, the sofa would surely be the talking point of any home it resides in.

It’s the reuse of materials, rather than throwing away and manufacturing more, which makes up-cycling like this so attractive to us. An added bonus is that the items become a lot more interesting because of it.

You can view more of Tommaso’s work at tommydesign.it.

Image copyright to Tommy Design