This Sustainable Design Studio Turns Old Furniture Into Eclectic New Pieces

Every once in a while, an old problem is met with a new idea, and the result of these happy coincidences are more often than not ingenious innovations. These innovations sometimes bring about much needed change, as is the case with the gradual wave of sustainability that is taking over India. From an environmentally friendly take on our good ol’ trusted bicycle to vegan leather made using coconut waste, sustainability has seeped into practically every aspect of the urban Indian’s life. Having said that, sustainable furniture is still a little difficult to come across. It’s not often that we find design, functionality and sustainability merging together in a space of creation, but Second Wind Designs is all set to change that.

Founded by Ira Maurya and Abhinav Mehta, this design studio based out of Gurugram up-cycles and repurposes old pieces of furniture that you just can’t get yourself to discard. Bookshelves that were once old cribs, greasy tyres that found a place in living rooms as pouffes and an unloved headboard turned into a beautiful bench — Second Wind is a coming together of traditional design style and modern sensibilities. The duo also has a section called ‘Finders Keepers’ where you can get your hands on one-of-a-kin refurbished pieces o furniture that once were discarded and unloved cast-offs.

Second Wind was a result of Ira and Abhinav’s need to upcycle their furniture while setting up their house. “As a kid, I have seen my grandmother giving a new lease of life to old sarees by turning them into doormats, plastic bags into flowers, battery cases into planters, and others. In 2016, when my husband Abhinav and I were setting up our house, we sort of realised that there was a huge need gap. We wanted a certain kind of furniture, but that was either expensive or the kind of stuff we were looking for was not available. We wanted to use the stuff that was being discarded and avoid it from simply ending up in a landfill. There weren’t too many people who were doing sustainable décor so we ended up doing a couple of pieces like turned old car tyres into a table for our house,” said Ira in an interview with NDTV.

Visit the design studio’s website for more information.

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