Very good tutorial from a professional garden...
I have subscribed to access all the courses so have watched one on interior design and this one with Butter Wakefield who specialises in small garden design. She ...
Louise Brown
Apr 10, 2026
Designing with Salvaged and Reclaimed Materials
with MARIA SPEAKE — Reclaimed Materials Interior Designer
Lesson 24 of 30
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When undertaking any renovation, Maria encourages you to first take stock of what already exists and if you don’t want to keep it, consider exactly how it can be repurposed within your new design. In this project, it was the windows.
When undertaking any renovation, the first thing to do is to take stock of what already exists, and if you don't want to keep it, consider exactly how it can be repurposed within your new design.
In order to decrease our energy consumption, old windows are often the first thing to be replaced in a renovation, as they are often incredibly inefficient at retaining heat.
Rather than disposing of old windows, I implore you to think about how they can be reused within the home.
A great way to reuse them is as internal windows, allowing for light to flow between rooms while maintaining a sense of separation between different zones or spaces. Not only can reusing original features from the home save you money, but it also provides continuity of design and ensures the new incarnation of the home stays true to what has gone before.
The windows in this space have been laid on their side and stacked on top of each other. They fit perfectly here, but you can always shave the timber down if they don't quite fit where you want them to.
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437 reviews
Read moreI have subscribed to access all the courses so have watched one on interior design and this one with Butter Wakefield who specialises in small garden design. She ...
Louise Brown
Apr 10, 2026
I love CreateAcademy. I came in for the gardening and floristry courses, but am also watching an interior design one at present. And the photography course is an ...
Wellesley
Apr 1, 2026
What a great investment, I have learned such a lot from the first three courses. My evenings have gone from not being able to find anything that captured my imagi...
sojojo
Mar 30, 2026
I loved this course with Amanda Lindroth! Her approach to decorating is so relaxed and she makes it feel attainable. She explains the reasons behind her decisions...
Elizabeth
Mar 27, 2026
I have subscribed to access all the courses so have watched one on interior design and this one with Butter Wakefield who specialises in small garden design. She has a lovely personality and comes across as ...
Louise Brown
Apr 10, 2026
I love CreateAcademy. I came in for the gardening and floristry courses, but am also watching an interior design one at present. And the photography course is an absolute must, best I've ever done.
Wellesley
Apr 1, 2026
What a great investment, I have learned such a lot from the first three courses. My evenings have gone from not being able to find anything that captured my imagination on TV to learning and expanding my kno...
sojojo
Mar 30, 2026
Your Instructor
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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