Recycled Home by Mark and Sally Bailey, Published by Ryland Peters & Small   2009

Reviewed by Annie Kelly

Don't be put off by the title of Recycled Home, this isn't just another book about re-using empty egg cartons – authors Mark and Sally Bailey show recycling at its most sophisticated. They have worked with a long list of stylish designers including Ralph Lauren, Paul Smith, Donna Karan, and the British home wares maven, Terence Conran. Magazines like World of Interiors and Vogue have covered their design work, however this is their first book, and the good news is that there is plenty here to satisfy both modernists and antiquarians.
The Baileys suggest “You learn to appreciate the creativity there is to be found in imperfection....stripped wood with crackled and flaky paint, and subtly hued plasterwork sit well with one or two necessarily shiny new additions, such as a stainless-steel worktop added to a rough table.”
Recycled Home (italics)brims with helpful information – to  strip walls back rather than to repaint them, and to polish tiles floors with beeswax as it allows them to breathe. Their mantra of “Live with what you've got, and don't rush to replace it with something new and faceless,” fits in well with today's new frugality. Who knew that mouse holes in floorboards were once patched with pieces of old biscuit tins or baking trays?
Some of their ideas are incredibly simple: that boring old crystal chandelier instantly becomes chic with a clunky piece of driftwood threaded through it, and a found-by-the-side-of-the-road bathtub with a broken leg or two will look very cool mounted on weathered wooden blocks.

Recycled Home is broken down into chapters dealing with elements, including tones and textures, walls and floors, as well as one of my favorites, lighting. Here, they suggest to “Think about lighting in groups – this way you get to be a bit more energy-efficient as well, because you can go for lower – wattage bulbs.” The Baileys admit that their industrial salvage ideas here look a bit modern, but they encourage the reader to add beaten-up old candlesticks to give deeper atmosphere to the room.

Next the authors tackle various spaces, like the kitchen and bathrooms which can take a never-ending supply of rescued and abandoned work benches and shop counters. “All sorts of things can be used in the kitchen if you give your imagination free reign and forget long-held notions about the function of furniture,” they bravely assert. Bedrooms have less opportunities for creativity, however there are no shortage of driftwood and plank headboards at Casa Bailey. In the living room the authors suggest “take a wonky old table and cut its legs down, or use a tin trunk stripped of color to reveal a scratchy, slightly shiny metallic surface-just the right height for a coffee table.”
Buy this book, and if you live in a big city you will never look at a dumpster the same way again!