a furniture collection Focused on Material Reuse
Exploring the afterlives of everyday objects, Dublin-based designer Cara Campos presents Objects from Frames (OFF), a collection of furniture pieces crafted from reused bicycles.
Campos trained in industrial design after initially studying fashion, a shift that reflected a growing interest in structure, load, and how materials behave under repeated use. After graduating in 2025, she now works mainly with discarded components rather than raw materials, favoring objects that have reached the end of their intended lifespan but retain structural integrity.
With this collection — including a chair, table, and lamp — frames, joints, and points of stress are treated as given conditions, and surface wear and signs of handling are left intact.
Object from Frames (OFF) collection, images courtesy Cara Campos
cara campos Adapts End-of-Life Bicycle Frames
The focus on reuse is central to Cara Campos’ Objects from Frames (OFF), a collection developed from discarded bicycle frames sourced in heavily used or end-of-life condition. Bicycles attracted the designer because of their precise engineering and their tendency to be abandoned once they fall out of service. ‘OFF asks the bicycle to perform a new function in the domestic environment,’ Campos tells designboom. The project began as a university study and was refined through hands-on testing.
The OFF pieces are produced by cutting, repositioning, and stabilizing existing frames, with minimal new material introduced. Original tube diameters, curves, and junctions are preserved. Welds remain visible, and former attachment points for wheels or chains are either exposed or adapted into new connections. Each piece is shaped by the geometry of the frames from which they originate.
the Dublin-based industrial designer works mainly with abandoned objects and materials
Wear and Prior Use is expressed
Cara Campos avoids disguising the source material with her OFF furniture collection. The bicycles’ scratches, chipped paint, and irregular finishes remain present. ‘The intent is not to up-cycle, but to pay homage,’ she notes. The bicycle is allowed to stay legible, both structurally and visually, carrying its prior use directly into the finished objects.
Even in their new domestic setting, the pieces retain the weight, scale, and material density of their origins. Tubular steel defines edges and supports without cladding or concealment, and the construction remains easy to read. The objects sit with a straightforward physical presence, marked by exposed structure and surfaces shaped by use.
a chair, table, and lamp are made from discarded bicycle frames
original frame geometry and tube dimensions are preserved
the project was developed through hands-on testing
surface wear and former attachment points remain visible
the objects retain the weight and scale of their original use
project info:
name: Objects from Frames (OFF)
designer: Cara Campos | @cara_____________
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