12 DIGS.NET | 7.10.2020
P R O F I L E | D E S I G N E R G E M S
PHOTOGRAPHS:
©
MICHAEL
SINCLAIR
Reinventing the bits and pieces of
periods past for new use, Retrouvius
salvages contemporary design from
the clutches of want and waste.
I
n a state of recovery for nearly three decades,
Retrouvius is a force in the business of
reclaiming building materials. When the salvage
operation was launched in 1993, repurposing was
hardly the rage; it was barely a thing. Many thought
it a fringe consideration. This focus and the ethos
it engendered, however, put Retrouvius and its
co-founders, Adam Hills and Maria Speake, at the
forefront of a movement that is less trending than
it is in total alignment with our environmentally
tenuous times.
From the company's early work in conservation, to
supplying reclaimed items for the film Trainspotting,
to branching out into interior design, London's
leading salvage dealer is equally sought-after as
an architectural practice, especially by those with
a penchant for spaces that might appreciate a little
patina—a battered banister, a few light fittings, some
scuffed-up marble flooring, a worn bit of mahogany,
whatever a demo might send packing to a landfill.
Why destroy what can be saved? Demolishing
without much thought was never smart, but
today, given our environmental woes, feels
wholly irresponsible. Retrouvius's mandate is to
find perfection in the imperfection and exploit
it to ingenious effect. Its interior interventions—
residential and commercial both—speak to this
philosophy. Many feature high-quality period
pieces showcasing the defects of time; others an
architectural solution, be it removing a wall to open
up a space or a more dramatic structural move.
Each effort is, like the tones of the 1970's-feeling
London home shown here, vividly achieved.
retrouvius.com
Rescue Operation
(CLOCKWISE FROM
LEFT) SOME RECLAIMED
MATERIALS USED IN
THIS HOME INCLUDE
PINE FLOORBOARDS
AND HARDWOOD
TABLETOPS FROM
SCHOOL SCIENCE
LABORATORIES, ALL
SALVAGED. THE ONYX
BACKSPLASH WITH
NATURAL EDGE WAS
PART OF A HAUL
RETROUVIUS SAVED
FROM A FIREPLACE
RESTORER. IN THE
SHOWER, OLD SEA
OAK FORMS SEATS.
A SITTING AREA
FEATURES THE CLIENTS'
OWN VINTAGE CHAIR
AND FLOOR LAMPS.
Demolishing
without much
thought was
never smart, but
today, given our
environmental
woes, feels wholly
irresponsible.
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