Exchange Your Old Furniture For New Upcycled Items: Gurugram Duo Gives A New Spin To Waste

New Delhi: We all have that one piece of furniture that has grown too old, worn out, damaged or lost its purpose but is too special to be discarded. Could be a wooden rocking chair used by our grandparents, a dining table that was the hub of family gatherings, a crib that holds some cherished memory, or a family heirloom that has been passed down – bed given to your mother by her mother (with lot of sentiments, obviously), so on and so forth. The only reason we feel like giving up on our darling furniture is – trend. But what if we tell you that you can retain that furniture by giving it a new meaning and life in your home? The Second Wind, Gurugram based design studio, renovate and upcycle the old furniture giving a touch of latest fashion.

Also Read: Waste Management At Its Creative Best: This Woman From Gujarat Is Upcycling Glass Bottles With A Quirk

Tracing back to the idea behind starting The Second Wind, 33-year-old Ira Maurya, co-founder of the design studio, says, “As a kid, I have seen my grandmother giving a new lease of life to old sarees by turning them into doormats, plastic bags into flowers, battery cases into planters, and others. In 2016, when I and my husband, also the co-founder, were setting up our house, we sort of realised that there was a huge need gap. We wanted a certain kind of furniture, but that was either expensive or the kind of stuff we were looking for was not available. We wanted to use the stuff that was being discarded and avoid it from simply ending up in a landfill. There weren’t too many people who were doing sustainable décor so we ended up doing a couple of pieces like turned old car tyres into a table for our house.”

Old car tyres gets a new life in form of a table

While the inspiration was always there for the duo, setting up their own house made them translate that idea and energy, paving way for their own design studio.

Also Read: From Old Sarees To Doormats: Here Is How This Duo From Aurangabad Is Upcycling Old Clothes

From Waste To Home Furniture And Accessories: Repurpose Is The Way To Be

Once we found some 20-year-old wooden crib at a scrap dealer who was all set to dismantle it. We bought it and turned it into a bookshelf. Once we took an old tyre, covered it with some fabric, put a glass top and turned into a table. For upcycling, we use reclaimed wood and discarded furniture, says Ira.

An old family crib upcycled into a bookshelf

Also Read: From Frying Pans To Clothing Iron, This 49-Year-Old Artist From Kerala Is Giving A Magical Touch To Waste Items

The duo does not restrict themselves to repurposing furniture and home accessories like bookshelf or bed side table, but also knick knacks like trays, coasters, caddy, and so on. From one of their friends who is into garment designing and always had ample waste fabric, the duo got the fabric and used it to create coasters from leftover pieces of wood.

Handmade caddy with leftover material and reclaimed wood

I remember converting an old chair into three small bookshelves. An unloved headboard was turned into a vintage inspired bench. The makeover of the product depends on what waste we acquire, explains Ira.

An unloved headboard refurbished into a vintage inspired bench

Also Read: From Old To Gold: Tap Your Creative Side To Upcycle Your Used CDs

Upcycled Products: The Price Range

While the simple tea coasters can cost Rs. 250-300, headboard bench is priced at Rs. 25,000, crib bookshelf is valued at Rs. 4,500, and side stool is evaluated at 2,500. The products do start from Rs. 250, but can go up to Rs. 30,000-35,000 or more, depending on the customisation.

We make the effort of meeting people, understanding their requirements while giving our ideas. Since I am an interior designer, we take up projects like designing someone’s house and do customisation, says Ira.

Upcycled coasters made from scrap fabric and wood

The upcycled products can either be ordered via social media account and page of the studio or by writing an email. While products like trays are shipped across India, bigger piece of furniture like chair is usually shipped only to Delhi.

Also Read: Heard Of Jewellery From Waste Items? These Two Women Innovators From Bengaluru Are Doing Just That

Pieces of furniture are usually one or two so it becomes difficult for us to deliver it to other places. Though in past we have delivered products to Mumbai and other places, clarifies Ira.

Waste Is Not Waste At The Second Wind

While the empty cans of paint are refurbished into planters, boxes of adhesive are used as storage boxes for different sizes of nails and nut bolts required in furniture making. The ones that can’t be used are sent for recycling.

I won’t say we have a zero waste studio or live by the zero waste mantra as that is not possible right now. But our studio is a step closer towards that, signs off Ira.

Chipped wine glass upcycled into a holder

Also Read: Goodbye Plastic, Hello Creativity: Five Easy Ways To Reuse Plastic Bottles

NDTV – Dettol Banega Swachh India campaign lends support to the Government of India’s Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM). Helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan, the campaign aims to spread awareness about hygiene and sanitation, the importance of building toilets and making India open defecation free (ODF) by October 2019, a target set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, when he launched Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in 2014. Over the years, the campaign has widened its scope to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and menstrual hygiene. The campaign has also focused extensively on marine pollution, clean Ganga Project and rejuvenation of Yamuna, two of India’s major river bodies.