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Designing with Salvaged and Reclaimed Materials
Reusing unique pieces
with MARIA SPEAKE — Reclaimed Materials Interior Designer
Lesson 7 of 34
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Discover how to include unique and interesting pieces of salvage in your home that have been rescued from places such as museums, libraries and universities.
From the Lesson Workbook
Exploring Reclaimed Materials
Reusing Unique Pieces
Our cultural institutions are ever changing and updating to keep in line with modern trends, which means there are lots of unique and interesting pieces of salvage from places such as museums, libraries and universities.
Vitrines
Often found in museums, vitrines are a brilliant thing to salvage.
You can carry on using them as display cases to house personal collections, or they work beautifully in kitchens to store and display things like cutlery and plates.
They can also be used vertically, and you can insert shelves to store glassware or spices.
It is becoming more common to have 'loose fit' kitchens, where people are turning away from fully fitted designs and preferring freestanding pieces for their individuality and flexibility. This is where vitrines really come into their own and are great for these kinds of kitchens.
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Interior and exterior confidence
Create Academy has been such a great resource. I'm in the middle of renovating a bungalow with a very large garden and the courses have offered a wealth of information to dive into and explore new ideas. I'm...
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Jun 10, 2026
Absolutely love Create Academy
Absolutely love Create Academy! The instructors are extremely informative, and it is beautifully filmed. Create Academy is great value for money and plan on renewing my subscription yearly because there are ...
SG
May 31, 2026
Magic in small spaces
Butter's creativity is stunning! Her ability to incorporate brilliance in small gardens is magical!
Carla
May 30, 2026
Your Instructor
Maria Speake
Reclaimed Materials Interior Designer
Named interior designer of the year by House & Garden, Maria Speake co-founded Retrouvius in 1993 and leads its award-winning design studio. Her work reimagines salvaged and reclaimed objects from hardwoods to textiles into richly textured, liveable pieces. With three decades of practice, she’s helped put thoughtful reclamation at the centre of contemporary interior design.
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