STORE TOUR: WEST ELM & PALLETS WITH PURPOSE

It's Thrifty Thursday! And that's not to say that West Elm is thrifty - but they sure did come up with a thrifty means of re-purposing pallets by turning them into store fixtures and focal points! It's these inventive tricks of the trade that drive and breathe life into brick & mortar stores. Yes - the catalogs, magazines, and online photographs are styled beautifully, but there is just one other element added to your visual stimulation and creative inspiration when walking through a store: dimension - scale - clarity and impact.

I'm totally LOVING the modern-rustic look of the pallets stacked on this wall - creating a dramatically different focal point. This concept can easily be adapted in a home or loft space with the addition of a collection of black & white photos or art layered on it...

As for fixturing - I can really appreciate this take on creating store fixtures to merchandise and display product (I've seen way too many fixture pitched & purged into dumpsters over the years). This presentation not only relates the theme throughout the store, but it put to use an item that could easily have just been discarded into a landfill (I'd just have liked to have seen it stack a little bit higher so customers wouldn't have to squat or lean over to shop it). Jumbo hooks applied to the back pallet give height to the statements composition...

West Elm - turning pallets into fixtures

Designers - turning pallets into furniture

I came across another means of re-purposing pallets for the home in a special before & after issue of VOGUE Living - Autumn/Winter issue.  For their last page, they featured an innovative artist and London based designer by the name of Nina Tolstrup. Her work is featured on the website studiomama.com.

Studiomama's featured Pallet Project includes,

a pallet Hi chair, a pallet Lo chair

and even a pallet lamp.

Pallet HI Chair

 Pallet Lamp

Pallet LO Chair

"Gallery-worthy designs are moonlighting as DIY projects in backyards across the world, shifting the commodity from product to design and with encouraging involvement in this sustainable venture. The Pallet Project is an innovative meeting of excellent design, sustainability and social consciousness - both a lofty ideal and a bit of fun." -VOGUE Living - Australia

 Cornelia Parker's "Beach Chair"

'LO' Pallet Chair of Nina Tolstrup

All projects are down-loadable - and to personalize your own work - simply paint some of the planks on your creation... similar to artist Cornelia Parker's "Beach Chair" design. These sustainable chairs have even evolved to include a charity project in the slums Buenos Aries...

The Pallet Project 'pallet chair' was debuted 

at London's 2007 100% Design festival.

The pallet chair evolved into a charitable project in Buenos Aires.

So the next time you're out & about - admiring store visuals - dumpster diving or curb mining - don't overlook the incredible abilities of this thrifty find - the pallet.

West Elm - mixing modern - rustic & found objects

West Elm - Brick & Mortar

Pallets mixed in as store fixtures

give height in an open space...

And add a wonderful focal point to feature new product.

Happy Thrifty Thursday!