Recycling By Design

Designers at theworkshop 308 make custom furniture from salvaged wood. Locally made, these pieces are green and one-of-a-kind.

Helping clients to reduce their carbon footprint is a priority for 2001 Drury University graduates Jason Mitchell and husband-and-wife team Michael and Natalie Mardis. As owners of theworkshop 308, a busy, multi-disciplinary design studio, their goal is to provide designs and products with lasting quality and meaning for both clients and the environment.

They take recycling to a whole new level by using commonly discarded items such as old windows, doors, wood or metal and configuring them in a contemporary, modern way. “We use salvaged or reclaimed items that will have a low impact environmentally,” says Jason. “Michael and I both have degrees in architecture. We love designing and using our hands to craft pieces that are environmentally friendly as well as aesthetic. Natalie has a graphic design degree and a minor in architecture. She keeps our ideas functional.”

Theworkshop 308 did away with the retail area they used to have, since they prefer to make custom, individual pieces and keep very little inventory on hand. Fortunately, they have done several projects for some of the most popular venues downtown, so they encourage potential clients to visit those locations, which serve as a showplace for their work.

The ever-changing clothing display area in Staxx was one of the first commercial projects for the trio and Prix Tattoo, Apparel + Gallery Parlor also owes its unique interior to theworkshop 308.  The Coffee Ethic, newly opened on Park Central Square, is the most extensive example of their holistic approach to design. The tabletops and coffee bar are made of salvaged local walnut trees that were destroyed in the ice storm of 2007. The chairs were salvaged from a barn in Bourbon and restored. The signature multi-person “big ass bench” was created from a reclaimed cotton mill beam, and they’ve used recycled rubber flooring, low-flow fixtures, energy-saving equipment and low-VOC paints—all examples of their planet-friendly approach.

By pushing the edge of the conventional design envelope and committing to efficient, low-impact projects, their products have mass appeal. “We’ve done work for clients in their 20s as well as clients in their 80s,” says Jason.

Their popularity continues to spread beyond the borders of 417-land. They plan to display some original pieces in galleries nationwide, and to bring on a fourth partner to spearhead theworkshop 308 studio in Chicago, so they can pursue large projects in both regions.