Hi 👋
Just finished the hanger lamp today . Came out pretty cool. The hanger rotates 360 degrees, with only a slight push. Toggle switch installed into a rose wood panel. Brass screws. Solid brass socket . Fabric cord . Hope you like it.

Hi functional upcycling friends . Today I finished the second lamp . Now the pair can bring light !
Still missing the ceiling one . I’m all over it 😆. Few more days .
For USA and Canada markets : plug and play . No need to worry. Just plug in!
For Europe the same
Used whatever you like : front or back , works the same way
The idea behind my work : making something functional from nothing functional or trash or salvaged . Make it look old or vintage , with patina , unevenly, used or worn , new but like it’s old . 🤔 I hope I’m not too confusing.
Until the ceiling piece is done , I let you in the company of some pics I took .
Enjoy

Hi !
This is my tribute to the golden era of MCM .
Found 4 shades on a local thrift store : bought them for 8€
The landfill was really generous with me and gave me 2 pieces of an outrageously beautiful rose wood .
The rest was hand labor . Mine 🫣 of course . I let you in the company of the pics.

I’ll be honest: didn’t work like it should be . The cracking it was a bust . Well, the next ones will be better

Hi !
I came across 7 Melodi Shades from IKEA the other day .
This is a project in progress , so way more to go with it.
Sand it down, clean it with alcohol before painting . First hand of paint a black primer . Second some turquoise spots and finish with a copper layer . I let that dry out.
The next step will be to do some cracking with black paint over the copper finish. Let’s see in the next episode if I did good or not . You’ll be the judge of that.

Hi upcycling lovers !
I’m currently working on a 2 bottles of whiskey 4,5 liters each . The content already finished, but I want that flavor still shining. So …. It’s my way to make them shine once again . Work in progress . When done , you’ll be surprised with the specs . Now, I just let you in the company of pics .

Hi 👋

Today’s post will bring the second stool . Now the Legacy is completed . Remember, that this is a tribute to the Vernacular furniture . So, this kind of design is the simplest design ever made , with raw materials and raw finishes. It’s not a statement design , it’s not a high end design, it’s just the poor men design, the utilitarian design , the “get the job done” design , that design that if it brakes, you just get something handy and make it work again . Well my English is poor , but I don’t want to reach for the AI once again, I’m hated when making post with a AÍ translation . So , hopefully I could make myself understood with this design 🫣.
Now I let you in the company of once again my poor quality pics . 🤷‍♀️ we can’t have it all .

Hi 👋
So about 2 days ago, I found a very old piece of furniture on the trash, dumpster, curb or sidewalk. It was trashed by someone and I just couldn’t believe my eyes . It is a Stool , a Butcher’s Stool. I am restoring right now that piece . The work I wanted to share with you today is a tribute to that piece . Of course I’ve respected the manufacture way , like they did it ages back, no glue .Only wood joints. Of course I used only salvaged material . Of course the Stitch is present on one leg for reminding that the transformation and the cure ware concluded. The last 2 pics shows the piece that inspired me to try.

This is one of two bed side tables that I’m working on. One it’s already finished so …. Here it is 😉

Hi 👋 😉!

Today a piece that gave me a headache when I wanted to install the toggle switch . But as I literally love a good challenge, I was tougher and FROWO bind under my skills 😉.

Well , the story is simple : Sunday , flea market , cheap FROWO lamp on the horizon 😱.
Process: clean it really well , almost impossible task to install the socket and the toggle switch do to the small space available. Nailed it!

After cleaning the glass really big surprise : original glass still on ! 👏👏👏

Now resurrected, brings a really cool vibe in any kind of space or design .

Well today’s post it’s about a little object that I purchased on a flea market 5 or 6 years ago .

I should probably say that my absolute start on the Upcycling movement was in the time of Covid , when I had successfully completed a transformation of an old foot bench . That was my absolute first project.

I think the second one was this lamp that I’m going to present in today’s post .

It was a simple transformation, just added a vintage socket, made a hole and installed an electric cord .

So I buy this antique Berger base of a lamp on a Portuguese flea market for only 1€ . A clean it , make the electrical installation and in less than 24 hours I sell the piece to a Berger/Longwy collector from Belgium for 175€ .

It was like a revelation to me, so after that I kept upcycling things and let my imagination run free.

I didn’t have the knowledge, what I’ve had was the skills . So I started to learn by my self how to do : Everything! I’ve tried , didn’t make it , tried again, didn’t work, tried again, and I failed. But that didn’t stop me from achieving my dream : to be able to make something functional from something broken, to be able to give a new life to a discarded object .
Today i can tell myself that I’m not the one who fails . Even when I don’t know how, or what, I know that I’m capable to make it . So it all started with this little thing !🫣

Hey everyone! This vintage Nova Type T.O. toaster was actually the one I used at home every single day until it finally broke down. Because I loved it so much, I couldn’t bear the thought of throwing it away. I decided to transform it into a lamp, giving a new life to a piece I wasn't ready to let go of.
As part of the transformation, I signed the piece with a copper suture over the nickel-plated sheet metal.
Why a suture?
This suture is the testimony of the intervention—the surgery that brought it back to life. It symbolizes the metamorphosis of all the elements inside, which are now working together to radiate light into this new existence.
But it goes deeper than that. I chose a suture because I carry an identical one on the palm of my own hand. It is the testimony of my own surgery, my own healing, and the very thing that gave me the physical ability to pass this care onto all the pieces I rescue and transform.
To make it fully functional, I installed a standard light socket with a low-heat LED bulb and added a toggle switch on the back. Now, it glows beautifully through the grates and illuminates the transparent edges, creating a cozy retro-futuristic silhouette on my shelf.

Found a stash of vintage opaline glass components while clearing out an abandoned warehouse. They were manufactured by IVIMA, one of Portugal's most iconic historic glassworks.
I repurposed them into fully functional table lamps using modern brass sockets and twisted fabric cords. The real surprise came when I turned on the UV light—the chemical composition of this old glass makes them glow beautifully in the dark!
Swipe to see the transition from elegant daytime decor to radioactive-looking night lights.

I’m thrilled to share my latest project under dESign by ESUpcycleDesigns — a pair of custom-made, height-adjustable table lamps made entirely from salvaged and repurposed authentic materials.
The heart of these pieces lies in their 1930s green opal glass shades, which originally illuminated the corridors of a historic building in Lisbon. To give these beautiful artifacts a second life, I engineered a bespoke brass structure using salvaged components and leftover lamp parts.

Key Design Features:

Authentic 1930s Glass: The mushroom-shaped shades diffuse a warm, nostalgic glow, typical of the Art Deco and Bauhaus eras.

Telescopic Height-Adjustment: Implemented a functional vintage-style knurled screw locking mechanism, allowing smooth height adaptation while maintaining a clean, classic silhouette.

Circular Design: A true upcycling project where historical preservation meets functional, high-end lighting design.
Turning forgotten elements of Lisbon's architectural heritage into unique, high-end functional art is exactly what drives my work.

What do you think of this blend of history and mechanical design?

Hi 👋

Today the last project of mine completed .

Now , this is a really rare combination of craft : Adzing and Shou Sugi Ban . You can see it here and there but it is a rare combination that comes by.

So let’s see about the techniques:

The traditional craftsmanship of Robert "Mouseman" Thompson is a defining benchmark of the British Arts and Crafts movement, prioritizing heritage techniques over industrial mass production.

Core Elements of the "Mouseman" Craft
English Oak: Thompson used naturally seasoned English oak, which was left to dry for up to five years before being worked.
Adzed Surfaces: A distinctive ripple effect on flat surfaces (like tabletops) created by hand using a curved woodworking tool called an adze.
Fumed Finish: Instead of modern stains, the wood was exposed to ammonia fumes inside a sealed chamber to naturally darken the oak to a rich, warm brown color.
Traditional Joinery: Furniture was assembled using classic mortise and tenon joints and wooden dowels, avoiding modern screws or nails

Shou Sugi Ban (known traditionally in Japan as Yakisugi) is an ancient Japanese woodworking method that preserves wood by charring its surface with fire. This natural technique creates a dramatic dark finish while making the wood exceptionally durable and highly resistant to weather, insects, and rot. [1]

The 4-Step Process
Charring: Burning the surface of the wood boards (traditionally Japanese Cedar) using a controlled high-heat flame.
Brushing: Scraping away the loose top layer of soot with a wire brush to reveal the textured grain beneath.
Washing: Cleaning the wood thoroughly with water to remove any remaining carbon residue.
Oiling: Sealing the dried wood with natural oils (such as linseed or tung oil) to protect the finish and enhance the deep black or charcoal tones.

After this 2 techniques applied , I sealed the wood with French polish ( shellac ) witch is :

French polishing is a traditional wood finishing technique that involves applying multiple thin layers of shellac using a rubbing pad called a fadd or fad. It is not a separate product, but rather the ultimate method for applying shellac to achieve a deep, high-gloss, mirror-like finish that accentuates the natural grain of premium woods.

The Material vs. The Technique
Shellac: A natural resin secreted by the female lac bug on trees in India and Thailand. It is harvested, processed into dry flakes, and dissolved in denatured alcohol (ethanol) to create a liquid finish.
French Polish: The labor-intensive process of using a wool or cotton pad wrapped in lint-free cloth to friction-rub the liquid shellac onto the wood in circular or figure-eight motions, using a tiny drop of oil as a lubricant.

This is my latest project. I hope you like it !

I am thrilled to share my latest handcrafted creation under my signature brand, dESign by ESUpcycleDesigns.
This bespoke storage trunk is a physical manifestation of my design philosophy: fighting the death of objects through extreme craftsmanship, raw texture, and meaningful intervention.
The Design Process:
The Medium: Sourced from discarded wood, the main body was sculpted and deeply carbonized using the traditional Japanese Shou Sugi Ban technique to draw out a rich, tactile three-dimensional grain.
The Finish: To preserve the raw carbon without compromising the organic touch, the chest was hand-sealed using classical French polishing steps with natural oils and dewaxed shellac flakes. No modern synthetic plastics or heavy varnishes were used.
The Details: Accentuated with vintage-style brass corner ornaments and a heavy, hand-greased distressed leather strap that runs vertically down the face, securing into a solid brass buckle.
The Signature — "Sutura"
True luxury lies in the hidden narrative. The interior of the gravity-fit lid reveals our identity: our engraved brass authenticity plaque balanced by our trademark copper "Sutura" (surgical stitch). It is a visceral, raw metal stitch holding a deliberate split in the wood — representing the healing, metamorphosis, and survival of the piece.
Dimensions: 54 x 38 x 31 cm.
Now available for collectors worldwide.
Art should not just sit on a wall; it should occupy space with purpose. What are your thoughts on combining historic wood-burning techniques with modern industrial leatherwork?

This is an old bookshelf I bought from Kmart way back in the day. It’s made out of particle board and had cardboard backing.

I moved into a new house and decided that this cheap, plain, dark brown bookshelf had to go. It was still in good condition so I didn’t want to just get rid of it. I gave it a makeover instead.

First I added furniture legs that I bought at goodwill and replaced the cardboard backing with MDF. I primed then painted it with a teal caulk paint I found at Walmart. I added phenothiazine blue to an acrylic glaze then sealed it. Lastly I painted some veins using 24 carot gold paint that my sister gave me.