Vancouver is taking upcycling to the main stage with the Ultimate Upcycling Challenge at this year’s Home + Design Show. Five of British Columbia’s top design and decor bloggers have been challenged to upcycle an item from Habitat for Humanity’s Restore.
The Ultimate Upcycling Challenge has a two-prong goal. The first being to challenge people to think twice about items they already have and how they can repurpose them. The second goal is to increase awareness of Habitat for Humanity and it’s ReStore. The Habitat for Humanity ReStore has branches across Canada and sells building supplies and furniture donated by local businesses and residents. Proceeds raised are used to fund Habitat for Humanity’s homebuilding projects for affordable housing.
Vancouver Home + Design show manager and upcycler Jill Kivet says, “Finding a castoff and not just reusing it, but turning it into something better, takes recycling to the next level.”
Bloggers had to commit to using 80% upcycled content from the ReStore and had a $100 budget to work with.
All upcycled entries will be on display this weekend at the Home + Design Show at B.C. Place stadium. The competition winner will be crowned via popular vote. The upcycled items will be sold via silent auction with the proceeds going to Habitat for Humanity. Users can vote for their favourite entry here.
Sources: Upcycling hits the home show – The Vancouver Sun
Mintage desk by Julia Dilworth
Glamour Shot stools by Kelsey Dundon
**update** Maria Killam won the Ultimate Upcycling Challenge with her kelly green Kate Spade inspired end table.
Photo sources: Home & Garden Blog
These things aren’t really upcycles so much as paint jobs, and unfortunately it’s sad, for me, to see a nice piece of wood killed with pale blue paint. The idea behind upcycling is taking something that is no longer useful as it is and transform it into something that is useful, such as a dead lightbulb made into a Christmas tree ornament; or an old rake head that can’t be used again as a rake used as a wall hook; or using a broken chair as a shelf by hanging it on the wall. Gosh, I upcycle my old coffee mugs by smashing them and using the broken pottery in the bottom of my plant pots, instead of using heavier small rocks. That is upcycling.
Thank you! Nothing worse than some chalky paint on a queen Anne table to devalue it for the sake of matching a tacky shabby chic decor.
You are so right Elizabeth, thank you for voicing my thoughts exactly. Aside from the stools receiving a slight upholster redo, the rest of the projects consist of simple coats of paint. There is no actual upcycling here, and that unfortunately stemmed from the selection of the items in the first place. I wonder if the items were given to the candidates, or if they were able to select them themselves. Either way, this is quite disappointing.
Elizabeth, I think you are actually talking about re-cycling (giving something a new/different use), rather than up-cycling.
No, she’s not. You’ve got it backwards.
The main difference between recycling and upcycling is that upcycling creates something new/more from the sum of its parts. Take the rake example that Elizabeth gave.
Recycling a rake would consist of removing the metal head from the wooden handle, and having both pieces taken care of properly. The metal would most likely be sorted and cleaned to remove contaminants, then processed (usually by cutting, shredding, or melting) until it is turned back into molten liquid metal where it finally be given a new life. The wood would most likely be processed the same way, shredded or cut down to be used as who knows what.
Now upcycling a rake, as Elizabeth mentioned, would be using the metal prongs as a coat rack, or a hat rack. Or maybe hammering nails in a line along the handle and hanging keys or jewelry from it.
Recycling an empty pill bottle consists of tossing it in the blue bin. Upcycling an empty pill bottle means using it to store beads, or sewing needles, or toothpicks, or making a tiny terrarium inside and gifting it to a friend or family member.
Two very different ideas and processes.