It’s very windy and cold outside along with rain/hail showers, although it’s the end of April. And in my part of the world, being the Netherlands, people start to check their garden and their garden tools. One of those tools is a garden hose. Something you shouldn’t do with a garden hose is keeping it outside during a cold winter. A hose can withstand a bit of frost but it’s not made to endure really freezing temperatures. When I visit our local waste collection and recycle facility during spring I see several people bringing their leaky or old garden hose.
Garden hoses are made of a variety of materials, even upcycled plastics. Your recycle facility can have difficulties with recycling them. But you may have guessed by now, the good news is that they can be upcycled in some pretty amazing design objects.

Garden hose gets totally new feature

This post shows you what I mean by amazing objects. This weekend I thought it was time again to check out tomtinc.com by Rodney Allen Trice, one of my favorite upcycle designers. He is truly a very creative person and has a stunning collection of upcycle design pieces. A few examples of his unique work are the table made out of crutches and another design called ‘Kenmore Arch Lamp‘.
And now you can see what he did by giving a garden hose a totally new feature. ‘Garden Hose Table‘ and ‘Garden Hose Hassock‘ both by T.O.M.T.™ are two very original and inspiring upcycle design furniture pieces. Rodney was inspired by the way garden hoses were packaged. Like always, one has to look for the details. And here the furniture legs are really standing out. The hassock has legs made out of old school brass garden hose nozzles. And the table uses brass water faucets with brass garden hose nozzles attached to them. For me those details are the finishing touch, the icing on the cake. And that’s one of the things I like about Rodney’s work.

Rodney Allen Trice:

“In the beginning of me finding my work, I hung out in a lot of hardware stores. Inspiration comes from all around me. Never sure when it will hit. This garden hose hassock was inspired by the way garden hose was packaged for sale. Whimsy meets a very usable hassock, reminding anyone to breathe, smell the flowers and smile in the garden you created.”

T.O.M.T.™. was founded in 1994 by Rodney Allen Trice and is based in Brooklyn | New York. This upcycle company is dedicated to object recovery and reassignment on ‘God’s Green Earth’. According to Rodney: “That’s why we’re here, and as we grow, it continues to be an interesting journey! Though recycling seems to be the obvious mission, we prefer the term ‘refitting‘. Our process is more ‘object career counseling’ than waste-handling. Simplicity is paramount, and integrity to both mid-century modern aesthetics and the original object’s first identity a must.”
The website of T.O.M.T.™ states that his awareness of our need to conserve the Earth’s resources has grown significantly since his endeavor began more then 12 years ago. As has his concern for a future where no one will be insulated from the need to make the most of the objects around us.

Photos © T.O.M.T.™

Rodney Allen Trice:

“I believe we all must do our part, think beyond just separating plastic, paper, glass. We must teach ourselves and learn as habit to see more than just a ‘rain shield’ in an umbrella, a ‘dust collector’ in a vacuum and a ‘shoe for our car’ in an old tire. When we do that, the Earth will become a safer place for the children of the 21st century and, from my experience, A LOT MORE FUN, TOO!”

Please visit his site to see his collection and check out his new stuff.

Design by T.O.M.T. | Etsy