discard detroit is a project that reimagines mid-century modern (MCM) furniture as pieces of fine art. the collection has been created in detroit by a multidisciplinary team comprising lisa sauve of synecdoche design, artist mike han, and photographer ryan southen. the work celebrates the old, worn objects and gives them a fresh perspective. 

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the pieces set in hart plaza, which was designed by isamu noguchi, in detroit, michigan

 

 

discard detriot emerges through the team’s collective experience of living and working in the heart of mid-century modern beginnings. the detroit-based team worked with objects connected to the region, including works by herman miller, knoll, and cranbrook academy of art. 

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the current collection of mid-century modern furniture, collected and painted

 

 

first up is the wassily chair manufactured by knoll, which was led by influential michigan designer, florence knoll. this original wassily was found on craigslist and purchased for $20 from a couple who inherited the piece unaware of its origins and value. it sat in a storage room collecting dust and disappeared from view as other items piled on top of it.

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wassily chair, painted by mike han, curated by lisa sauve, image by ryan southen

 

 

harry bertoia developed wire frame techniques at cranbrook, which would become known and loved all over the world. he graduated from cass tech in detroit before studying at cranbrook, and his iconic chair is produced by knoll. this particular chair has been very well loved by synecdoche design’s founder, lisa sauve’s mentor. lisa was given three original chairs and leather pads and she saved the worn pads to have replicas made using them as a template. lisa provided one of these chairs for the discard collection.

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bertoia chair, painted by mike han, curated by lisa sauve, image by ryan southen

 

 

isamu noguchi, a master sculptor and architect, is well known for his noguchi table that’s manufactured by herman miller, a michigan company. noguchi is lesser known for his largest project, hart plaza, in detroit, where the discard detroit collection was first photographed. this noguchi table entered the collection as the original owner moved to a new home and it did not fit within their interior design scheme. this table, no longer having a place inside the home, was given to lisa who has been a steward of unwanted mid-century modern furniture.

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noguchi table, painted by mike han, curated by lisa sauve, image by ryan southen

 

 

the fourth piece of the collection is a barcelona chair by ludwig mies van der rohe who designed lafayette park in detroit, his largest collection of buildings in the world. this chair comes from the basement of a mies van der rohe townhome in lafayette park, stored away after reimagining the space it once inhabited. upon painting the chair, it was discovered that one of the pads is original, but the other is a replacement. it is inferred that the second original pad was replaced due to damage while being used.

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barcelona chair, painted by mike han, curated by lisa sauve, image by ryan southen

 

 

these iconic examples of MCM design hold court inside museums like the MoMA, but many of these objects have been used, loved, and worn over the decades inside homes as beloved furniture pieces. by embracing the stretched leather, burst seams, and tarnished metal, the team celebrates the unique vintage qualities of objects past their prime. in this way, discard detroit is really a collection about circular art and design. the individual pieces are for sale, but limited to editions of one with no certainty of when new pieces will be added, says the team.

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the team celebrates the worn qualities of discarded furniture pieces

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the collection tells a story about circular art and design

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artist mike han with the wassily chair and noguchi table

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pieces set in hart plaza in detroit, michigan

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discard detroit pays tribute to objects connected to the region

 

 

project info:

 

name: discard detroit

by: mike han, lisa sauve, ryan southen

 

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

 

edited by: lynne myers | designboom