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 inform...
Harvey
Jun 10, 2026
Designing with Salvaged and Reclaimed Materials
with MARIA SPEAKE — Reclaimed Materials Interior Designer
Lesson 28 of 34
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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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491 reviews
Read moreCreate 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 inform...
Harvey
Jun 10, 2026
Absolutely love Create Academy! The instructors are extremely informative, and it is beautifully filmed. Create Academy is great value for money and plan on renew...
SG
May 31, 2026
Butter's creativity is stunning! Her ability to incorporate brilliance in small gardens is magical!
Carla
May 30, 2026
The best adventure. I like all the courses, but my favorite are both Rita Konig interior design courses and Anna Jones. Excellent!
Karolina Kluczewska
May 20, 2026
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...
Harvey
Jun 10, 2026
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
Butter's creativity is stunning! Her ability to incorporate brilliance in small gardens is magical!
Carla
May 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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