In this installment of Upcycling, I’d like to highlight my current favorite upcycler, Michael Smith from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, whose Etsy store is named Destructive Testing.

In my last Upcycling post, I mentioned that I love how these projects range from useful new items to purely aesthetic objects, and Michael Smith does a wonderful job of creating imaginative, playful, even elegant pieces, most of which strike a harmonious balance between form and function.

His lamps, in particular, stand out for me, utilizing a wide variety of old found objects married with vintage-style bulbs, resulting in pieces that magically look decidedly modern.

Smith’s clocks are truly one-of-a-kind:

And here he combines the two:

Smith also has a good eye as a curator, which you can see in action at his blog.