Desislava Vangelova and Petko Tashev with some of the repurposed objects from their shop

“PEOPLE often want to smell it when we tell them what it’s made of,” joked the owners of a unique Barnsbury shop selling repurposed rubbish transformed into high end design pieces.

Soon-to-be husband and wife team Desislava Vangelova and Petko Tashev, who are both originally from Bulgaria but met in London, have given up everything to achieve a dream: to stop things being thrown into landfill or burnt in incinerators, and instead turn them them into useful and beautiful objects that can take pride of place in a living room.

And while the materials used may leave some feeling a bit green at the gills – horse manure, blood and fermented milk to name a few – by the time they are on display in The Home of Sustainable Things, in Barnsbury Street, their origins are impossible to spot.

The idea of a permanent shop selling homewares made entirely from products that would otherwise be thrown away fits into the idea of a circular system of sustainability.

Mr Tashev told the Tribune: “When you start explaining what these things are made of, this is when you see the reaction. People are taken aback a little bit.”

In actual fact, many of the methods used to make their products are historic and hark back to a time long gone.

For example, using fermented milk as a kind of glue was once quite common, while manure was and is still used in more tribal communities to build solid structures such as huts.

“These methods have been around for centuries but they’ve been forgotten and wasted [in our culture],” Mr Tashev added.

After their initial pop-up, they spent another ten months curating designers from across the world including Japan, London, and Iceland, before they threw open the doors to customers in August 2019.

It initially sold plates and bowls made from food and egg waste, and then furniture made from paper waste fibre – the raw material left behind when paper has been recycled.

They now also stock vases made from white goods glass, furniture made from old newspapers and ceramics made entirely from waste construction materials.

Recognising that while some items were pricier, Me Tashev insisted that the shop was cheaper than most designer shops, and pointed out that while the original materials were rubbish, they have subsequently been hand designed.

He said: “We’re not aiming to be IKEA although I think we’re cheaper than John Lewis, even though they have items which are produced in large quantities.”

The duo are currently in talks with Islington Council, and are at the “early stages” of an agreement to have access to its rubbish and recycling plant.

Mr Tashev said he hoped to see architects and designers to move out of their comfort zone by ditching the materials they are familiar with and embrace the possibilities of “so-called waste”.

He added: “The [potential for our business] is huge. The interest for this type of goods is huge – people just don’t know about it.

“I think our idea would be for us to be setting up ways for designers to be visible and part of the market, because at the moment there is no infrastructure for new designers coming up with new ideas and developments.”