Sustainable design – upcycling furniture & lamps

raffinesse & tristesse – Sustainable and unique: beautiful upcycled furniture and home accessories. All products are handcrafted in Germany in collaboration with social projects.

The idea behind our products is to recycle as many materials as possible while maintaining high-quality craftsmanship. With meticulous attention to detail, we transform what would otherwise be waste products into designer furniture with respect for the environment.

Old olive cans, antique crystal bowls, and tins are transformed into furniture and home accessories with nostalgic appeal. While tins are mass-produced packaging, their second life at rafinesse & tristesse emphasizes individuality, allowing only for subtle similarities.

Each piece is therefore unique, complete with small dents and scratches that tell charming stories of the past.

Beautiful table lamps are created from old cans combined with antique lampshades. Vintage crystal bowls and vases paired with elegant brass sockets and fabric cables exude a wonderfully nostalgic flair.

Our lamps also repurpose old materials with innovative ideas. Each piece is unique, complete with small dents and scratches that tell charming stories of the past.

Our design favorite, tin tuffet, is made from recycled olive oil cans combined with elegant seat cushions. Because we reinforce the can from the inside with wood, it’s not only comfortable but also incredibly stable and durable. Your floor is protected too, as tin tuffet is screwed to the ground with four felt feet. Each stool is unique; we constantly combine the recycled cans with different fabrics, waxed films, tarpaulins, trims, and upholstery tacks. A wide variety of combinations can be found all over the world, and each stool is carefully selected with meticulous attention to detail.

Our bench combines sustainable design with functionality, making it a true storage marvel.

Lovingly handcrafted in social workshops, each bench is harmoniously coordinated. No two benches are alike; we constantly combine different cushions with color-coordinated olive canisters. The frame is constructed from high-quality plywood, which we can oil or soap upon request. The recycled canisters are equipped with felt feet, edge protectors, and a handle, and serve as storage space. The seat cushion is easily washable (30°C) thanks to its zipper. The bench measures 110 x 50 x 30 cm, and the canisters 23 x 23 x 35 cm.

Projects

Exhibition, consultation, custom-made products & workshops…

About us

rafinesse & tristesse, these are Karin Yilmaz-Egger and Petra Schultz. The idea for our work originated in 2005 when we transformed our first empty can into a miniature kitchen for our children. Our friends loved the idea so much that they wanted to see more. In 2006, we founded rafinesse & tristesse, designed our tin tuffet stool, and presented our products at our first exhibition in Berlin. Our products and the philosophy behind them quickly took off. The incredibly positive response and the enjoyment we got from our work were so motivating that we have been regularly exhibiting at international trade fairs and exhibitions ever since. Our breakthrough came in 2008 with our victory in the Talents competition at the Ambiente design fair in Frankfurt. Soon, the demand for our stools increased so dramatically that the two of us could no longer keep up with production.
Today, with a steadily growing team, we produce and design in our two studios in Berlin and Bern. Here, we constantly generate ideas for new products made from recycled materials. In addition to our standard range, we also offer custom-made pieces for your home, as well as for bars, restaurants, kindergartens, and hotels. We now sell the unique rafinesse & tristesse products worldwide.

In our production, we work closely with social institutions. In Berlin, the tins are finished in the workshop for people with disabilities run by the Union of Social Institutions (USE) . In Bern, we collaborate with the Terra Vecchia unemployment project and with Triva, a wood and textile workshop and employment program for people recovering from drug addiction.

Shop

rafinesse & tristesse
Shop for Sustainable Design
Holzmarkt 25, 10243 Berlin
Phone: +49 (0)176 23 15 79 58
Opening hours:: Wed-Sat 1-6pm

Since almost all of our products are unique, you’ll only find a small selection of furniture and lamps in our Etsy Online Shop.

Feel free to contact us with any product inquiries or custom orders. We’ll gladly send you photos of our current selection or create your own personalized favorite piece. We ship worldwide.

berlin[at]rafinesse-tristesse.com

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Contact

rafinesse & tristesse
Petra Schultz
+49 176 23157958
berlin[at]rafinesse-tristesse.com

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