Mexico-based French designer Fabien Cappello has created a special collection of 15 large glass offcut plates for Hem, marking the brand’s fourth limited-edition decorative accessories collection in collaboration with Modern Design Review. The collection is punchy, resourceful, and inspirational, as it showcases the unique results from the process of upcycling and encourages us to rethink how we might use discarded materials.
Cappello, who lived in Mexico City and now resides in Guadalajara, was inspired by the street-style upcycling that was happening throughout the city. Using glass offcut pieces found throughout his workshop, Cappello instinctively creates playful compositions of color and form, highlighting the offcuts as the decorative surface pattern. Each plate is made from layers of colored sheet glass and measures nearly 14” in diameter. The colors selected in the final collection are based on the colors of the raw material available, fueling Cappello’s inventive creativity.
Cappello shares his process, inspiration and hopes for the collection:
This process is so inspiring to me – the idea that the most derelict piece of something could carry such an innately uplifting and powerful quality. The work in many ways is grounded in the concept of resourcefulness that I have always been attracted to, and have experienced in such force during my years living in Mexico. If we consider everything, every aspect, every element of our material world with equal importance and weight, then nothing is worth discarding; and we can invent ways to use the most neglected parts to generate something new and beautiful. I hope each of these plates captures that joyful sense of invention and care.
See the full collection here on Hem.com.
As the Lifestyle editor, Vy Yang is obsessed with discovering ways to live well + with intention through design. She’s probably sharing what she finds over on Instagram stories. You can also find her at vytranyang.com.
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