Would you guess that the lamp above is made out of 80% recycled materials? Just one of the many light fixtures that Tel Aviv-based Studio Mesila (mesila being the Hebrew word for “track”) makes, the lamp was created out of wood veneer remnants from a carpentry shop in Kibbutz Beit Alfa.
Studio Mesila – a sustainable design studio aiming “to pave a path to design as a way of life, and life as a way of design” – is happy to share the stories behind all of their products, which include light fixtures, home accessories, and furniture.
Founded by Shlomit Levy, Avital Levy and Ifat Zvirin, the studio creates one-of-a-kind creations that all contain between 30%-100% recycled content. In the interest of transparency and sharing the story of the materials’ past lives with their future consumers, the studio publishes the recycled content percentage as well as where the materials came from for every product on their website.
The table on the left, for example, is made of out 90% recycled materials, including a door found on Mesilat Wolfson Street (the street where Studio Mesila is located) in Tel Aviv. The table below, made out of 80% recycled materials, is made out of a tapestry and wood remnants from a warehouse in Herzlia.
Why sustainable design? In the studio’s own words, “”it is our faith that through sustainable design we possess real potential to influence the society that we live in. The intention is to create products that represent a new concept, one which will encourage the public to adopt a new and more balanced way of life, in tune with the environment.”
Studio Mesila does not consider their use of reclaimed materials as a restriction, but rather as a way to further stretch their creativity. Their materials are their source of inspiration. The studio writes that “from materials we observe on the streets daily, we absorb the energies stimulating us to produce new products according to our dedicated discipline. Many times the material itself triggers the product’s creation. Reevaluating the material, color, shape, limits and benefits, separating it from its context, brings in a new creation.”
Studio Mesila, Mesilat Wolfson 29, Tel Aviv, Israel 66090
Read more about other sustainable design studios::
Junktion’s Designs are the Intersection of Waste and Whimsy
Shulayim Eco Design Studio Brings Art Lovers and Treehuggers Together
Brigitte Cartier Creates Baladi Recycled Design
Author: Karen Chernick
Much to the disappointment of her Moroccan grandmother, Karen became a vegetarian at the age of seven because of a heartfelt respect for other forms of life. She also began her journey to understand her surroundings and her impact on the environment. She even starting an elementary school Ecology Club and an environmental newsletter in the 3rd grade. (The proceeds of the newsletter went to non-profit environmental organizations, of course.) She now studies in New York. Karen can be reached at karen (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
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