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Happy Thanksgiving: upcycle those leftovers

November 22, 2012

Today is Thanksgiving in the United States of America (also known as the “Magnited States of America” to a former customer of the no talkin’, no textin’ Alamo Drafthouse cinema in Austin, Texas.) A national holiday, it’s a day to give thanks, tuck into a Bacchanalian feast and bagsy the best seat for the telly, […]

Today is Thanksgiving in the United States of America (also known as the “Magnited States of America” to a former customer of the no talkin’, no textin’ Alamo Drafthouse cinema in Austin, Texas.) A national holiday, it’s a day to give thanks, tuck into a Bacchanalian feast and bagsy the best seat for the telly, or (preferably) get the app and watch the live stream from traffic cameras on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade route.

The downside to the feast? Leftovers. A tonnage of Tupperware holding fragments of food. Fine for Black Friday, not so fine on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Would there were a way to adapt leftovers using the methodology of the fine folk who create the recycled, hand crafted RAW Rugs collection.

RAW rugs are the antithesis of Regretsy-style upcycling. An initiative of Union 18 design studio in Atlanta, Georgia, the studio’s principals Meg and Todd van der Kruik use rug strips discarded at source by the carpet industry. Pickings are good, as Georgia hosts numerous carpet manufacturers and boasts a city known as “the carpet capital of the world”.

RAW bespoke rugs grace the high concept suites of The Residences at W Hollywood, located at the legendary intersection of Hollywood and Vine in Los Angeles. If that weren’t endorsement enough for RAW rugs, photography of the rugs in situ were taken by the equally legendary photographer Tim Street Porter.

The Residences at W Hollywood, RAW carpet. Photograph copyright Tim Street Porter.

RAW rug, Union 18, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Fancy a gorgeous RAW rug? Send them a colour palette or pages ripped from magazines or that rusty bit of metal you’ve hoarded as a potential colour match. The build process takes 2-6 weeks once the layout is approved. Union 18 will involve you in the design process or you can sit back and watch telly safe in the knowledge that someone else’s leftovers will become a fine rug for you to treasure for many Thanksgivings to come. DJ

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