Some time ago upcycleDZINE showed two lampshade designs, both made out of old Dutch mailbags. Here in the Netherlands a lot of people are looking for original old mailbags. Former Dutch mail service, PTT post [now Post nl], used fantastic looking bags with typo on it and three stripes symbolizing the Dutch flag. But there are more objects used by PTT post like for instance red mailbox cabinets.

Mailbox lamp with original details

Personally I’ve used these mailboxes a few times when I was working at a design company and had to get the mail from the mailbox at the post office in the morning. I never thought about what would happen with these cabinets after their lifespan was over. And I certainly didn’t imagine that these familiar mailboxes would be used for upcycling.

So what happened? Due to digitization of mail, more and more post offices disappear and make these old model mailbox cabinets unnecessary. Luckily a Dutch creative company noticed this and had a great idea what to do with them.
The company, VerdraaidGoed [meaning: Darn Good | literally: twisted good], was able to use different parts to create a desk lamp called ‘LichtPost‘. They created a modern zig-zag shaped lamp. For me it bears some resemblance to the Zig-Zag chair from famous Dutch architect and furniture designer Gerrit Rietveld [1888–1964].

Photos © VerdraaidGoed

By using the doors from old mailbox cabinets VerdraaidGoed succeeded in preserving a distinctive object that was used for so many years and would otherwise disappear and be forgotten.
You may now by now that I think upcycle design often incorporates a fun factor. It can be a different function, the original object or some detail. Well if you take a good look at this fantastic desk lamp you know what I mean. The original key that was used for opening the mailbox has found a place in the design. That’s certainly an aspect that adds to the fun factor of this upcycle design and results in a real eye-catcher.

Design by VerdraaidGoed