Upcycling the Things That You Find

What would your reaction be to moving into an apartment and finding an old broken IKEA lamp? Normally you’d throw it out, but not if you’re Industrial Designer Samuel Bernier. Instead he designed and 3D-printed a series of intricate lampshades to replace the broken one. They each take between 4 and 12 hours to print, use absolutely no support material, and weight between 50g to 100g.

Samuel is also the originator of Project RE_ where he’s exploring the use of 3D printing for upcycling cans and jars.

Customised lids are created using low cost 3D printing. They are then clipped or screwed onto standard jars, tin cans and bottles to create new and personal objects. In the first collection 14 objects were made : a watering can, an hour glass, a long pasta container, a bird house, a bird feeder, a mug, a rain catcher, a maple syrup bottle, a piggy bank, a orange juicer, a snow globe, a paint brush cleaner, a dumbbell and a lamp.

Project RE_ was the DIY Runner Up in the Core 77 Design Awards last year.