Michael Ferguson finds a special pleasure in life which is perfectly perceptible when looking at his furniture and objects. Made out of recycled materials, the pieces reflect the changes in Berlin’s recent history. A table made from recycled old wooden floor from a flat on Prenzlauer Allee, an armchair made from a patchwork of old pieces of leather, or a lampshade using springs found in a old mattress as its base … The designer clearly has a striking ability to give used abandoned raw materials a brand new life.

Situated just next to the fancy Kastanienallee, an alley which is referred to as a catwalk in Berlin, the shop does not try to compete with the show-offs in the district. It has a simple and unassuming exterior, like the furniture created there.

Designing and constructing furniture out of recycled material is a thrilling challenge: the created piece should not look like second-hand but should carry the distinct mark of the designer. That is why the furniture of Michael Ferguson is brilliant: in a globalised world where IKEA sets the standard with do-it-yourselfidentikit furniture, the pieces of notawoodenspoon are practical, good-looking, original, but most of all, they possess a unique history which everyone can feel...

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