With UP Makers, we cultivate a respectful attitude toward urban waste mining by actively engaging in architectural, interior, and furniture-based interventions. These are shaped through systems thinking—balancing the needs and desires of users, the specific context of a space, and, as a guiding force, the resources offered by our environment.
The foundation of this project was laid a few years ago. In a playful and intuitive way, Vanessa Catalano and David Roncero began collecting discarded wood and metal from the streets of Amsterdam. Since then, we’ve been puzzling these fragments together—creating new objects through exploration and improvisation.
Today, our game has found a clear purpose: to demonstrate how using what’s already available can transform spaces. We create pieces that shape their environment—architectural elements born from what others leave behind.
We see a strong tension between current linear production models, the overwhelming amount of waste around us, and the deep human need for well-being. Our work is supported by those who believe in our mission—people who open their spaces to experimentation, receiving design solutions in which 20% to 95% of materials are upcycled.
UP Makers is a way of living.
PIECES
These pieces are not for sale. We display this work here literally just to display it, so you can get to know us.
SPACES
Do you have a space that needs some rethinking?
We offer space consulting sessions :)
