Upcycling: Sustainable shopping

Turning old into new: Unusual individual pieces made from objects with history – that's upcycling. It's a sustainable way to shop for extravagant design and creative handicraft in Vienna.

Handicraft, design, and sustainability come together in upcycling. Materials and objects that have had their time are restored or find a new purpose: Books or oil drums are turned into unusual furniture, fish feed bags or bicycle inner tubes into robust bags, and backpacks and layers of graffiti paint into trendy pieces of jewelry.

The result are unique design products with an exciting past, which are noted for their longevity. In these Viennese stores and workshops, you'll find a whole bunch of unique items from Vienna's creative scene.

Refished

At Refished, rugged backpacks, practical bags, and colorful accessories are made from colorfully printed cement and fish feed bags. The "Flags" collection has a special reference to Vienna: The flags from which the various products are made come from the Belvedere Museum or the Bank Austria Kunstforum. These and many other individual pieces can be found in the store in the 9th district or in the online shop.

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Refished upcycling store, young woman with backpack in the store — "Refisherei": The Refished store in the 9th district – © Refished

Refished upcycling, woman with shoulder bag — Founder Sissi Vogler with the "Soulmate" bag and the "Backpack" backpacks – © Marco Riebler

Refished upcycling, woman with hip bag — Perfect for everyday use: The "Bum Bag" – © Refished

Refished upcycling, various bags and pouches — A selection from the varied flag collection – © Refished

"Refisherei": The Refished store in the 9th district – © Refished

Founder Sissi Vogler with the "Soulmate" bag and the "Backpack" backpacks – © Marco Riebler

Perfect for everyday use: The "Bum Bag" – © Refished

A selection from the varied flag collection – © Refished

Kellerwerk

From the workshop of Romana Fürst and Sascha Johannik comes a whole bunch of old furniture that is renovated to shine in new splendor. They also transform what others throw away into lamps, bags, jewelry or accessories. The store is filled with the designs and products of other young artists. If you want to breathe new life into a personal favorite: Kellerwerk also fulfills individual customer wishes. Full information on the products and the store in the 6th district is available on its website.

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Kellerwerk store, store with vintage furniture — The Kellerwork store in the 6th district offers sustainable design pieces. – © Kellerwerk

Photo of Romana Fürst and Sascha Johannik, the founders of Kellerwerk — Romana and Sascha founded Kellerwerk and make the products together. – © Kellerwerk

Kellerwerk store, shelf with various vintage products — Furniture, lamps, bags, accessories, and jewelry are on offer. – © Kellerwerk

Kellerwerk store, vintage upholstered chair — The two of them also restore old furniture. – © Kellerwerk

The Kellerwork store in the 6th district offers sustainable design pieces. – © Kellerwerk

Romana and Sascha founded Kellerwerk and make the products together. – © Kellerwerk

Furniture, lamps, bags, accessories, and jewelry are on offer. – © Kellerwerk

The two of them also restore old furniture. – © Kellerwerk

Birdly – jewelry made from layers of graffiti paint

Cornelia Voglmayr processes crumbled off layers of paint from Vienna's graffiti walls into unique earrings, chains, rings, and bangles. Careful carving produces a unique play of colors. No existing graffiti is destroyed: The Viennese designer uses only material that has already fallen off or "harvests" the walls before they are redeveloped – for example on the Danube Canal. These unique pieces are available to buy in the online shop and at art markets.

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Birdly – chain made from layers of graffiti paint — A chain from a Viennese graffiti wall – © Jan Frankl

Birdly founder Cornelia Voglmayr by the Danube Canal — Artist and Birdly founder Cornelia Voglmayr on the Danube Canal – © Jan Frankl

Birdly – earrings made from layers of graffiti paint — Birdly offers earrings, rings, chains, and bangles – © Birdly

Birdly upcycling, ring made from layers of graffiti paint — Each piece is truly unique thanks to the different layers of color – © Birdly

A chain from a Viennese graffiti wall – © Jan Frankl

Artist and Birdly founder Cornelia Voglmayr on the Danube Canal – © Jan Frankl

Birdly offers earrings, rings, chains, and bangles – © Birdly

Each piece is truly unique thanks to the different layers of color – © Birdly

Gabarage

Handicraft and innovative design with added value: At Gabarage, tarpaulins are turned into bags and backpacks, books into stools, or escalators into sofas. The designers work constantly on new ideas for converting worn-out materials and objects into stylish consumer goods or design products. Social sustainability is also practiced here by training and developing people who are having a tough time on the labor market. Gabarage products can be purchased in the store in the 4th district or in the online shop.

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Gabarage upcycling design, store, interior shot — The Viennese Gabarage store in the 4th district – © Moritz Scheer

Gabarage upcycling design, various bags and pouches — The colorful bag collection – © Moritz Scheer

Gabarage upcycling design, three colorful lampshades made of plastic — Unique lamps from former traffic lights – © Gabarage

Upcycling Gabarage, employee sewing a bag — Social sustainability is very important here – © Birgit Rauer-Seifert

The Viennese Gabarage store in the 4th district – © Moritz Scheer

The colorful bag collection – © Moritz Scheer

Unique lamps from former traffic lights – © Gabarage

Social sustainability is very important here – © Birgit Rauer-Seifert

Mocca Mint

In the self-appointed "Home of Upcycling", Josef Papousek offers furniture, bags, and many other products by different artisans, designers, and artists. The recycled materials used are worn-out floorboards from old buildings, thoroughly cleaned wine barrels and oil drums, gym mats, airbeds, windsurf sails – and everything else that can be creatively upcycled into new design pieces. A visit to the website of Mocca Mint or the store on Josefstädter Strasse is sustainably worthwhile!

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Mocca Mint upcycling, store, interior shot — The "Home of Upcycling" on Josefstädter Strasse – © JOSWO GmbH - Josef Papousek

Mocca Mint – photo of Josef Papousek, the founder of Mocca Mint — Founder Josef Papousek: Previously a CEO – today, a sustainable entrepreneur – © Michael Stelzhammer

Mocca Mint upcycling, stool made from an old floorboard — Here, you can sit on a chair made from an old floorboard – © Michael Stelzhammer

Mocca Mint upcycling, side table made from an old oil drum — A discarded oil drum from Hamburg becomes a stylish side table – © JOSWO GmbH - Josef Papousek

The "Home of Upcycling" on Josefstädter Strasse – © JOSWO GmbH - Josef Papousek

Founder Josef Papousek: Previously a CEO – today, a sustainable entrepreneur – © Michael Stelzhammer

Here, you can sit on a chair made from an old floorboard – © Michael Stelzhammer

kontiki

Karin Maislinger isn't short of ideas: She takes old bicycle inner tubes and racing bike coats from Vienna's biking scene to make stylish and long-lasting bags, backpacks, and accessories. These unusual design pieces are hand-made in limited editions or as one-offs, and meet all the requirements of everyday life. The kontiki collection can be purchased in the online shop or in the little showroom in the 16th district.