Magazin „POLY“ - Free Guide 2022

It all began with cans of olives. Not the small
ones from supermarket, but the large ones you
find in restaurants. They are much too good to
throw away because of their beautiful designs.
But what else can you do with them? Make
stools, like Maciej and Katarzyna Karolczyk from
the upcycling design label “Karolchicks” in Bochum.
The olive stool was their first product in
2011. The cans were reworked, partially repainted
or glued and fitted with cushions. The space
inside could be used to keep smaller items.
The stools pointed the way towards upcycling;
the reworking of used materials into new things.
Maciej Karolczyk had studied product design,
his wife Katarzyna previously travelled the
world for her work in the textile industry and
knew from experience the masses of waste
fabric scraps that accumulate in manufacturing
processes. So the decision to create something
new from old materials was the logical step. In
2012 they took another step in the shape of
football lamps made from old, nicely scuffed
leather balls. (These are still diligently donated
by football clubs in Bochum!). For this purpose,
some of the hexagonal elements are removed
and recycled as key rings or small bowls. The
result is an opening for the light bulb. The lamps
are then hung on a textile cord, the colour of
which can be chosen to match the colour of
your favourite club.
Their “cat balls” are also made of used
fabrics. The textile retreat for cats, which can be
turned into a basket in a few easy steps, is either
made from coffee sacks or very robust trade fair
carpets, the remnants of which would otherwise
end up in a container when the stands are set
up. This often results in unexpected combinations
of patterns.
With their interior design for the
“Kugelpudel” ice cream bar in Bochum, the Karolczyks
then took the idea of upcycling practically
to the extreme. The furniture left behind from the
former “Haus Ehrenfeld” pub was taken apart,
recombined with other materials and turned into
sustainable interior design. At times the designers
screwed the rustic oak chairs under a disused
gymnastics bench, at other times the chairs were
used as frames for tables or turned into comfortable
“barrel chairs” with a new backrest made of
blue plastic from a food barrel. The ceiling in the
gents is now boarded up with the back and side
walls from old cupboards.
At present Maciej and Katarzyna
Karolczyk are working on new ideas in an open
studio. One of these is smaller football lamps for
window sills and chests of drawers. That said, it
would be a good idea to have enough blue textile
cords in stock for the local football fans. This
is Bochum, after all!
→ KAROLCHICKS.COM
→ KATZENKUGEL.DE
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POLY MAG 2022