Hasta La Ideas

Digby Beam Table, from structural beams that framed the Grace’s hull.

With dumpster divers, salvage supply warehouses and innumerable upcycled interiors dotting the landscape, Brooklyn might be home to some of the thriftiest and innovative recyclers. Brooklyn-based designers Uhuru are no strangers to using reclaimed material. The design duo of Jason Horvath and Bill Hilgendorf were name-checked in a recent NYTimes article about their 2010 Coney Island line made from reclaimed boardwalk Ipe wood and we wrote in-depth about their 2011 War Craft collection made from planks salvaged from the USS North Carolina’s deck.

Hand-carved from leftover pieces of boatwood from the shop. You might recognize the style of the Lief Puzzle Stool from Uhuru’s previous work for the New Museum lobby or from their 2008 ICFF collection.

While visiting Indonesia, Horvath came across a 61-foot fishing boat that had washed up in a monsoon. The 45-year-old boat, aptly named Grace, was constructed with now-threatened rainforest woods and was being disassembled to be sold off, piece-by-piece, for firewood. The designer made an offer to the boat’s owner and now Grace has come to the shores of Brooklyn to find a new life as beautifully hand-crafted furniture.

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