Metal barrels are quite popular in the world of upcycling. They are used for amazing furniture and lamps. But for those of you who are looking for something smaller, today’s featured upcycle design may be for you. What about the barrel’s smaller brother, a can? Cans come in all sizes and shapes. Have a look at a can used for soup or for coffee. Turns out they are very suitable for upcycling too.
Cans showing passion for nice things
One time I stumble unto ingenious upcycle design and another time it’s very impressive, or both of course. But once in a while I find design quite simple, minimalist and very friendly. And such design is what this post is about.
The lamp collection you’re seeing here is made out of used soup, vegetable and coffee cans. The entire range of products is designed by ILIÜI, an Etsy shop founded by Sara Güida and Alessia Nobili. An Italian couple living in Gata, Costa Blanca | Spain since 2008. For more info about them and their shop you should read an interview on The Etsy Blog.
The collection they created until now, consists out of cans turned into pendants, desk lamps, wall lamps and floor lamps The designs have names like ‘FLEXO nº 001‘ for a desk lamp and ‘d’ARIO nº 001‘ for a pendant. The used cans are painted with eco-label paints after being washed very accurately. All lamps are made by hand.
ILIÜI:
“Central body of those lamps was a time a metal can, that we had collected from neighborhood or pizzeria restaurants or …friends :)”
The structure is made of a light wood (pine or similar), and the base (underneath the wood base) is made of real-leather (recycling factories-left overs), in order to have much more grip on tables without scratching the surface. You can adjust the direction of the light by using the internal screw. The floor lamps, height 144 cm., are equipped with small wheels on the bottom making it easier to move. Nice touch, every lamp gets a label showing the origin of the product.
Photos © ILIÜI
One of the interesting aspects of small companies producing handmade design is the care they put into their finished products. And this also applies to ILIÜI: “We make our lamp with all our passion for nice things, and -well-done-details and finishing, in order to give the same emotion we have at the moment we finish one item… to our clients opening the box ….”
And that’s one of the things that make upcycle design so interesting and appealing.
Design by ILIÜI
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