Upcycled art is generally described as artwork that’s compiled of objects that have been discarded by others. There are tons of reclaimed art artists that use the vision of what art is to them, to create visually stunning recycled items. It takes a truly artistic mind to look at what many people would consider to be trash and turn it into something eco-beautiful.
I am obsessed with accessories made from recycled wood. I have everything from candleholders, to bowls, to jewelry. So you can imagine my excitement when I was asked to write a review for a handmade DEDO frame. Each DEDO frame is crafted from precious post-consumer and reclaimed woods from around the world. The guys behind DEDO believe that the photos and artwork displayed in their frames are just as important as the frames themselves. And that a picture frame should enhance and compliment what lies within, not just serve as a holder. It’s their hope that their frames preserve the importance of art and personal expression without contributing to the destruction of the environment. Isn’t that awesome?!
My Bamboo DEDO Frame
We decided to ask Matt and Roger (owners and artists) a few questions about DEDO and their awesome, eco art. We think you’ll find the answers to our questions quite interesting. And if you can’t already tell by our enthusiasm, we’re HUGE DEDO fans! See our Q&A below.
Wenge DEDO Frame
Where does the name DEDO come from?
- The name covers the way DEDO is engineered and its aesthetic. It’s the Spanish word for finger, alluding to each piece being a “fingerprint”…there are no two alike. Also the cut used to make the frame is called a dado cut (pronounced similarly), so its a play on words.
Your frames are so uniquely designed. How did you come up with the concept?
- We love design that allows the materials to do the talking, so to speak. Our favorite material of all is wood – it’s richness and variability and vitality. We also love people, in particular, people’s faces – each look like a fingerprint. So, we came up with a way of marrying these two things in one display. That’s DEDO! It’s a streamlined design that allows the complexities of each picture and material to have center stage.
Every year Matt and I (Roger) go to a Christmas party where the folks attending have to bring a gift that they themselves have made. I, being a woodworker by trade, have all these amazing pieces of cool woods laying around my shop that are too small to use for much else.
But, I just can’t throw them away! I mean seriously, whose gonna throw away a piece of Cocobolo, or Snakewood (the rarest hardwood in the world)!!! So, what could I make with these relatively small chunks of material? I’ve always enjoyed pictures too. Okay…. My only other thought was that I had to come up with something that was simple enough to make – after all it was the morning of the party! So, I decided to make a frameless picture frame that used one of these really amazing pieces of wood, and brought that to the party. It was a hit, and DEDO was born!
Later on, Matt suggested that this frame was something a lot of other people might enjoy, so we teamed up to present it to the public.
You seem to have a vast collection of unique wood to work with. How do you obtain your reclaimed lumber?
- We have partnered with various woodworkers and artists in our area that supply us with pieces they would otherwise throw away. Being a woodworker, I have some of these pieces and also seek out my collegue’s who have a cluttered workspace or who simply discard their scraps
Do you have a specific wood that you choose to work with?
- We work with whatever woods are available. We see each piece as unique and beautiful in its own right. No discrimination here! There have been some favorites among our customers, specifically the Zebrawood and the Snakewood frames. The hard part is that we only sell what we have as reclaimed, so we can’t really stock a bunch of inventory by buying wood from lumberyards. We only have what we have on hand for our DEDO frame collection.
Did you introduce Bamboo specifically for it’s green properties?
- We were fortunate enough to come across a cache of bamboo when a cabinet maker specializing in bamboo cabinets cleaned out his shop. We literally rummaged through his dumpster to score all these different patterns he had glued up for his projects. They’re incredible! All kinds of funky patterns and types! Post-consumer bamboo…It doesn’t get much greener than that! We also knew that bamboo is a very popular material used in modern decor, so it’s a great product all around.
How long does it take to make one frame, start to finish?
- That’s hard to say. We typically finish a number of them at one time. But, I’d say around and hour to hour and a half start to finish per frame.
Is the glass you use for the frames also from a reclaimed source?
- I think that would be a tough one. Glass is such a delicate thing. It scratches SO easily, for example. Purchasing new material for the glass has helped us ensure a level of quality there that we couldn’t match were it to be reclaimed. We are definitely open to it, but cannot ensure a result that would be clean enough and that wouldn’t detract from the fine qualities of the overall product.
Are there any other eco-friendly practices that DEDO stands by during production of the frames that you would like our readers to know about?
- We use a very simple finish process that is eco-conscience. Instead of spraying or applying volatile finishes, we apply a simple, rich paste wax to each DEDO. We also look for every opportunity to partner with wood workers to get more material for the frames.
Where do you see DEDO five years from now?
- DEDO is intended to be something fun and beautiful for everyone. I hope that five years from now we can say that this little guy has been part of a movement. A movement where we can see the inherent beauty of materials like wood, but more importantly, one another.
