Mine furniture by Mati Karmin
Beating swords into plough shares is one proverbial way to move from war to peace … but this may be the best modern equivalent. Mati Karmin is sculptor and industrial designer with a taste for the absurd, crafting such innocent furniture objects as carriages for children, suspended porch swings, master beds and lounge chairs and even bathtubs out of unlikely junk metal bomb shells.
Chair made from an old mine
The chair above is “made of two hemispheres of a mine shell. The lower hemisphere forms a base on which the upper hemisphere can be smoothly rotated with the help of ball-bearing. The design of the chair follows the geometric line. Metal strip is welded on the cut edges of the upper hemisphere for thickening and padding. The interlaced caprone seat base is adhered to welded loops in the chair, forming the base for the seat. The cushion and headrest are made of tarpaulin in a minimalistic style.”
Reclaimed mine bathtub
When Russia pulled out of Estonia in the 1990s, they detonated or burned all remaining ordinance, leaving a sea of scrap in their wake. Much was immediately brought (or washed) to shore and recycled, but many metal husks remain.
“The extended form of the bathtub is achieved by adding cylindrically cut pieces from mine-shells to the regularly-dimensioned mine-shell. The stainless steel bath inside the marine mine casing is custom-made in accordance with customer’s wishes. Extended steel detonator mock-ups are used as legs for the bathtub. The selection of sanitary engineering is based on the design of particular item.”
Lighting made of old mines
“One of the most gorgeous objects in collection: three hemispheres made of mine-shell have been added downwards to an entire mine-shell. Detonator mock-ups made of plexiglass are used as light bulbs. In every detonator there is a halogen light, which makes the chandelier a really good flood lamp.”
Wood stove made of old mines


The spherical fireplace is especially cool since it’s sort of metaphorical in nature, referencing the original purpose of the materials. It features authentic illuminators sourced from old ships.
Check out many more amazing recycled furniture designs made out of old reclaimed explosives at MarineMine.com.