From Warehouse to the Surface Design Show:
A Story of Circular Collaboration
Pallet wrap. The kind of material that sits quietly in our warehouse, doing its job and then waiting to be discarded. Easy to overlook. Easy to forget.
Until it isn’t.
Because not long after a conversation, that same material found its way into a completely different setting, through collaborating with Spark & Bell.
Reworked and on display at the Surface Design Show as part of a series of lighting pieces.
Same material. Completely different story.
Where It All Began
This collaboration started with a conversation.
Through the ‘B Corps of the Interiors World’ WhatsApp group that our Co-Founder Stella set-up, a space created to bring like-minded businesses together, she connected with Emer Gillespie, Founder and Director at Spark & Bell. A simple idea, bringing people into the same conversation, quickly turned into something more.
From there, conversations moved beyond messages. The two met in person at the Birmingham Furniture Show. Ideas were shared. Possibilities explored.
And one question kept coming up.
How can we make better use of what we already have?
Reimagining Materials
Back in our warehouse, pallet wrap was doing what it always does. Protecting, packaging, waiting.
At the same time, Spark & Bell were working on their Colour project, exploring how recycled plastics could be transformed into soft, expressive tones for lighting.
The connection was simple.
What if this material could be part of that process?
From there, it became a shared effort. The pallet wrap was passed on, tested, and worked into their material development process. Through layering, blending, and refinement, it became part of the final pieces.
And just like that, something that once sat in a warehouse became part of a design installation.
More Than a Single Project
What makes this story stand out is not just the transformation of the material, it is how it happened.
Two businesses, both B Corps, asking the same question. Not in isolation, but together. Looking at what they had, sharing it, and finding a better use for it.
This is what circular design looks like in practice. Not a perfect system, but a series of small, deliberate actions.
A message. A meeting. A material passed from one place to another.
And a result that goes further than either could have achieved alone.
Why It Matters
Our industry is full of materials that pass through quickly. Used once, then moved on. But what if more of those materials stayed in circulation? What if more conversations like this happened?
This collaboration shows what is possible when businesses are open, connected, and willing to share.
It is not about having all the answers. It is about starting the conversation.
In Conversation with Emer, Founder and Director of Spark & Bell
We spoke with Emer about how this collaboration came together, and what it means for the way we work going forward.
1. Do you remember the moment this collaboration first took shape?
Was it a specific conversation, or something that built over time through the group?
2. When we mentioned pallet wrap, what made you think it could work within your process?
Was it an immediate idea or something you wanted to experiment with?
3. What was it like seeing that material move from a warehouse setting into a finished piece for the Surface Design Show?
4. How important are spaces like the ‘B Corps of the interiors world’ group in making collaborations like this happen?
Do you think the industry needs more of this kind of open exchange?
5. For businesses who want to get involved or start thinking more collaboratively, where should they begin?
Join the Conversation
This started with one material, but it is really about something bigger. What happens when we stay connected? When we share ideas?
When we look at what we already have and ask what else it could become?
We are continuing that conversation, and we are always open to more voices joining it.
If you are part of the interiors industry and want to be part of a more open, collaborative way of working, we would love to hear from you.
The ‘B Corps of the Interiors World’ group is growing, and it is built on exactly this kind of exchange.
Sometimes, all it takes is one conversation to turn something overlooked into a story worth sharing.
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