“YES” breathes new life into vacant houses’ furniture through upcycling and reuse

When a homeowner leaves a house, tools of daily life that were once used in everyday life are left behind in the vacant house. These old tools are still usable, but they are thrown away as garbage, along with the memories of their owners.

It is “mottainai (a waste)” to have things thrown away when they are actually valuable and still usable. With this in mind, YES Inc. launched to eliminate the waste of abandoned items from vacant houses. They upcycle old furniture, especially old chests, and reuse old tableware and sundries in Takaoka City, Toyama Prefecture.

Masanori Ito, president of YES, Inc., says that his experience of witnessing the renovation of an abandoned house inspired him to start his own business. In this interview, we asked Ito, who creates one-of-a-kind furniture like works of art from the “trash” of abandoned houses. Here is his story about how he started the business, his passion and his thoughts on the future.

“Should I really throw this away?” – the question which motivated the launch

Originally interested in regional development, Ito was managing a guesthouse in an old private house in Takaoka City. When he witnessed the renovation of a vacant house, he saw that almost all of the old furniture and tools left in the house were being discarded.

Ito: I was shocked to see that objects that were once used in daily life were so easily thrown away with the end of a person’s life. Also, when I visited the landfill site, I felt a sense of crisis. I learned that the vast landfill is filling up faster than expected and that it is difficult to increase the number of landfills. This shocking fact overlapped with the situation at the vacant house, where a large amount of garbage was being disposed of. I felt that I had to do something about it.

Around the same time, Ito learned that many people were having trouble disposing of paulownia chests, which used to be part of a traditional bridal dowry, due to changes in housing conditions and lifestyles. He felt that it would be a waste to throw away these still usable chests just because they were in the way.

Ito: Many people want to get rid of their chests for various reasons, such as not having enough space for them or they do not fit the interior design. However, traditional paulownia chests are excellent at preventing moisture and insects, and they also retain moisture well, making them the perfect storage furniture for the Japanese climate. So, we wanted to update them and make them more usable for modern people.

Aiming for zero-waste for vacant houses and promoting value of antique tools

Ito says that since he started upcycling old chests of drawers, he has received more requests to pick up furniture. Most of the actual pickups are cases where people want to dispose of leftover items from their homes for end-of-life activities or asset sales. In addition to chests, many other items are destined to be discarded as “unused” items, such as dishes and other miscellaneous goods and tools.

Ito selected from tableware and sundry goods that would otherwise be thrown away that could easily be incorporated into today’s market. He decided to sell them at antique fairs and pop-up events.

Ito: Upcycled furniture is not readily available to everyone in terms of price and size. Leftover tableware and sundries are easy to buy, with prices starting at a few hundred yen, so we recommend them even for those new to using old tableware and sundries.

Ito has been creating new opportunities for old things in various ways, such as upcycling furniture and reusing tableware and sundry goods. However, he says there is still a long way to go to eliminate the disposal of leftover items from vacant houses.

Ito: Of the unwanted items at the salvage site, 10% can be distributed as “antiques” because they have value as they are. About 20% can be reused by adding new value through upcycling. However, that is all we can do at this point. The remaining 70% can only be discarded.

In order to break through this situation, Ito is turning his attention to the overseas market. He aims to promote old Japanese furniture and sundries to as many people as possible so that they will continue to use them for the next 100 years.

Ito: In terms of increasing our sales channels, we are preparing to expand our business overseas. We believe that even if a design is unacceptable in Japan, it may resonate with the sensibilities of people overseas. We would like to reduce, even if only a little, the percentage of things thrown away by having more people pick up our products.

Inspirational items to lead us towards ethical consumption

In upcycling furniture, Ito insists upon always creating products with a focus on design. It is exciting to imagine a space with items from “YES.” He told us that he wants to help people see the potential of this vision.

Ito: I don’t necessarily want people to buy things because they are upcycled or ethical. I hope they find the items they want to keep by their side and cherish them because they are cool, cute or inspiring. I want people to have encounters with things that move them. Ideally, when you buy something you like, you will find out afterward that it is actually good for the environment and society. For ethical consumption to spread widely, I think the responsibility first lies with us, the makers and sellers. As Ito said, the upcycled products lined up at the YES store in Takaoka City are like works of art. Each one has its own unique brilliance.

Ito: We have created an artistic look by laminating different materials such as acrylic on old paulownia chests, or upcycled them in a vintage style with paints and metal fittings that match modern interiors. Our upcycling style avoids traditional stereotypes.

Ito is also enthusiastic about interior designs using old furniture and sundries. Generally, people tend to think of Japanese chests of drawers as going into the Japanese-style room. However, he says, they can be placed in the living room or kitchen to give the room a stylish and sophisticated atmosphere.

Ito: Items that have been used in Japan for a long time are originally familiar to Japanese houses and lifestyles. By arranging them in a modern sense and suggesting interesting ways to use them, we hope to create an image of life with old furniture and tools.

For Japanese craftsmanship and design to last next 100 years

Finally, we asked Ito about the objects and thoughts he would like to pass on to the future 100 years from now through upcycling and reuse of old furniture and sundries.

Ito: Traditional Japanese manufacturing does not place as much emphasis on economic rationality as it does today. Therefore, there are many good quality items, both in craftsmanship and design, that are made to be used for a long time. If we today also leave behind good quality objects, 100 years from now, these objects will have vintage or antique value. Learning from the craftsmanship of our predecessors, we would like to deliver as many tools for daily life to the future that people will want to use not only now but for many generations to come.

Editor’s note

I previously encountered upcycled chests by YES at the IDEAS FOR GOOD exhibition hall. I was impressed by its individuality and beauty like a work of art, as well as its modern and sophisticated design. The scratches and scars in various places are proof that someone has lived with it. It is truly a one-of-a-kind original. By rediscovering the charm of old furniture through YES, I decided to continue using the old paulownia chests handed down from my parents.

Ito says, “I want to connect people with things that are thrown away because they are old.” This desire will lead to zero-waste of vacant houses, which will have a positive impact on the environment and society.

Old furniture and tools that have been passed down through the decades will color the lives of those of us living today and be passed on for the next 100 years. From the past to the present and beyond, and from Japan to the world, YES’ objects and thoughts will be handed down into the future 100 years from now.

If you would like to see “YES” furniture and tableware, come to MoFF 2022!

The exhibition curated by Zenbird and Life Hugger will be held in “MoFF 2022” at TRUNK HOTEL in Shibuya on Friday, Sept. 9. We will introduce “YES” at the exhibition. Please join us at MoFF 2022 to check out their product line.

Here is the link of MoFF 2022.

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