We are very excited to introduce Keren and Daniel Singer of Suit-Case Workshop. Keren and Daniel are a husband-wife duo who live in Yeruham, in the desert of Israel. A designer and architect by trade, they fell into upcycling while on an adventure around the world.
Keren and Daniel’s upcycling journey began 5 years ago, when they went on a 13 month adventure around the world. Their hosts in California asked them for help decorating the interior of their home. At the end of the design process, the last piece of furniture missing was a vanity. The Singers were looking for the perfect piece to match the mid century modern style bedroom. Finally they saw an old dusty suitcase and immediately knew it was perfect. They cleaned it up and fixed it; adding legs, a custom mirror and light that turned on when the suitcase opened. And so it became the perfect vanity. That suitcase was the first item they upcycled and that’s why they are called Suit-Case Workshop!
The Singers live in Yeruham, a small town in the desert in southern Israel. Their neighbours live in Bedouin villages, with tents in the desert. Using what they have is their way of life. Keren and Daniel find inspiration everywhere:
Our favorite location is the industrial area around our studio. There are different factories and a carpenter – their trash and leftovers are treasures for us.
For Suit-Case Workshop, the design process starts with finding a new object. They then imagine its hidden purpose. The main challenge is finding the right way to transform an item to make it desirable again. The Singers analyze features such as shape, material, color, transparency and use them in the making of a new product. Keren and Daniel like it when the upcycled item is recognizable for what it previously was. The history of the piece is what gives it character!
Suit-Case Workshop are inspired by the nature of the object being upcycled, and by the natural aging of the materials, like rust or cracks. The inspiration for their gorgeous, mid century modern style clocks came from Japan and the elegant designs they saw there. A Japanese artisan made small wooden clocks. His designs were simple and sweet. The Singers recalled these clocks while trying to figure out what to do with a bunch of tuna cans they had. They got the idea to use sliced wood as it reminded them of the shape of tuna in the can. We love that this design combines a classic style with a new twist!
We always try to keep a recognizable memory of it’s former use, in our view that is very important and usually that makes an upcycled item better than a new one.
Shop the gorgeous Suit-Case Workshop clocks here:
Free international shipping is included in the price!
Their advice to other upcyclers is to open your eyes and tune into your senses, we are surrounded by upcycling potential!
Shop the gorgeous Suit-Case Workshop decor here:
Free international shipping is included in the price!
