Salvage is Beautiful

The obvious: Using salvaged materials is the eco-friendly choice, as it reduces waste and contributes to a more sustainable and conscious way of living.

What's perhaps less obvious is that salvaged materials can make your home more beautiful and characterful, and get you out of that developer-led trap that means your renovation is cookie-cutter, lacking soul, or described as "builder-grade".

Whether it's reclaimed hardwood floors, antique doors, or salvaged architectural elements, each piece tells a story and adds irrefutable character to the overall design. The imperfections and weathered patina of salvaged materials bring a sense of warmth and personality to any space.

In San Francisco, salvaged materials from the 1800s or early 1900s are also very high quality. The wood comes from an environment that no longer exists, and new lumber is never going to be as strong or dense. The hardware is often solid brass. The hand-carved details are prohibitively expensive to recreate. The windows and their weighted mechanisms are repairable for hundreds of years. These materials, often reclaimed from old buildings or repurposed from discarded items, carry a rich history and a sense of authenticity that cannot be replicated with new materials.

Retrouvius, a design studio that I dearly wish were located in the Bay Area but is instead based in London, specializes in salvaged materials. (It's also where every image in the post is from)

— Retrouvius Philosphy —

At the heart of Retrouvius is the belief that good materials and well-made things are precious. Whether quarried stone or a piece of expert joinery, these objects were hard-won and have an intrinsic value that argues for them to be reconditioned and intelligently reused.

But! We in the Bay Area are blessed with a swath of folks who share in this sentiment of reuse and living history. Below is a selection of resources for salvaged goods, and if you're looking for design assistance, give us a shout.

A few Salvage Warehouses

• Urban Ore, Berkeley (I just acquired a solid bathroom door for $90 instead of the ~$500 that would cost me new)

• The ReUse People, Oakland

• Building Resources, San Francisco

• Placemakers, San Carlos

• Heritage Salvage, Petaluma
  

A few Repair Shops

• Ocean Sash and Door Company, San Francisco

• Bathroom Machineries, Murphys

• The Sink Factory, Berkeley

• Cliff's Variety Shop, San Francisco (will repair your locks!)

• The Pocket Door Specialist, Berkeley

• Restoration Workshop, San Francisco

• Nowell's Fine Lighting, San Rafael

That's all for now! Thanks for your attention :)

— Erica