The Reuse Mindset - Leading Conscious Design with Integrity - A conversation with Maria Speake

Maria Speake

Interior Designer - Founder of Retrouvius

Founded by Adam Hills and Maria Speake, Retrouvius are driven by the belief that good materials and well-made things are precious. The Retrouvius story began in the mid nineties as a reaction to the horror of demolition witnessed in Glasgow when Adam and Maria were studying. Now in its 25th year and housed across two sites in Kensal Green, Retrouvius increasingly understands its mission to be something more fundamental: to enable and inspire reuse, not just as a design preference, but as an attitude, a principled process and a way of life. Maria Speake leads the design studio at Retrouvius. Taking only a few projects each year, the studio applies the Retrouvius ethos to select interior and architectural projects in buildings ranging from contemporary penthouse to medieval priory, yacht to boutique. We celebrate a natural expression of materials and construction. We question architecture, construction and design to understand the potential for re-use from the outset. Our ambition is to satisfy our clients, but also to educate them. There is an undeniable feel-good factor in reuse: something unloved becomes valuable again. It is a process that celebrates age as a visceral narrative – a counterbalance to the blandness of newness. Patina, scars and wrinkles communicate the texture of time and use. Reused materials have a tactile personality and an emotional quota that is grounding and unique. Meredith Xavier Principal & Founder – The Ligné Group

Meredith Xavier

Principal & Founder – The Ligné Group