u/AmbitiousAd1435

As a photographer, I’ve collected many cameras over the years.
Not all of them survived time in working condition.

This old Praktica film camera had a broken lens and was impossible to restore for shooting, but I couldn’t just throw it away. Cameras deserve better than ending up forgotten on a shelf.

So I decided to give it a second life.

I found an old lampshade and part of a metal tube from a broken lamp at a flea market, and built a custom metal mount by hand so it could slide directly into the camera’s flash shoe.

Now this old Praktica works again — not capturing light anymore, but creating it.

One more vintage object saved and transformed into a loft-style table lamp with its own story.

At a flea market in Kyiv, I noticed two boys trying to sell their old broken skateboards. Most adults just walked past them without even looking.

I stopped and asked why they were selling them.
They told me the skateboards were already broken and too small for them now, and they wanted to save money for bigger new ones.

I bought both boards without bargaining.
Not because I needed skateboards — but because I immediately thought: they deserve a second life.

I restored them as much as possible, removed the wheels, sanded and lacquered the wood, and later found an old ceramic L-shaped lampshade and a broken clip-on lamp.

That’s how these wall lamps were born.

Now they work not only as lighting, but also as a place to hang apartment keys underneath.
From broken kids’ skateboards to functional loft-style wall lamps with their own story.

This is one of them.

I found two wooden hand sculptures at a flea market, and immediately had an idea: what if they could become lamps that change depending on mood and space?

So I designed them to work both as wall sconces and as table lamps. The position and composition can be adjusted however you like — almost like giving the lamps their own personality.

I love creating pieces that are not only functional, but also playful and flexible.
Old objects, strange ideas, and a bit of imagination — that’s usually where my projects begin.

And this is what came out of it.

Went to a flea market with my wife looking for interesting pieces to turn into loft-style lamps. I had one idea in mind — to find a real small violin.

Didn’t find one.

But my wife pointed at this souvenir and said: “Well… it’s still a violin.”
Fair enough 😄

So I took it home and gave it a second life.
Added an Edison bulb, kept the wood as natural as possible, and leaned into that warm, vintage feel.

Now it’s not just decoration — it actually lives in the space.

And, as always, my cat Bonya insisted on participating in the photoshoot. He clearly approves.

Upcycling doesn’t have to be perfect — sometimes it just needs a bit of imagination (and a good eye at a flea market).

I bought this old teapot at a flea market from a man who recently lost his wife. During these difficult times in Ukraine, he's selling off items that remained part of their shared life.

I looked at this teapot for a long time and realized it shouldn't simply disappear among forgotten objects. It deserves to be preserved.

Thus, this loft-style lamp was born.

Now it brings warmth again—not to the cups, but to the home, to the evening light, to the atmosphere and memories.

For me, upcycling isn't just about repurposing old things. It's an opportunity to give objects new life and preserve their history.

Had an old Agfa film camera with completely torn bellows — impossible to use as intended, but too beautiful to throw away.

So I gave it a second life.

Removed the damaged bellows and installed a small LED fridge light inside.
For the diffuser, I used old Soviet aluminum hair curlers — simple, textured, and perfect for soft light.

Now it no longer captures images —
it creates them.
The lens works and you can set the shutter speed and aperture and see how a mid-20th century camera works!
фотоаппарат 

Agfa camera with Prontor II shutter. IThe name Prontor II does not refer to the camera itself, but to the shutter mechanism that was installed on many German cameras from the 1930s to 1950s.

From dead camera to warm glow.

Found an old bakelite telephone at a flea market and couldn’t pass it by. It no longer worked as a phone, but it still had presence.

So I gave it a second life.

Installed 12V LED modules where the microphone and speaker used to be, and suspended the handset in mid-air using steel wire.

Now it doesn’t transmit voices —
it emits light.

From communication to illumination.

I found a non-working Chaika 3 at a flea market. The shutter was dead, the mechanics were tired, and it was missing its original lens. Most people would’ve passed on it — but I couldn’t.

I mounted a different vintage lens on it, not period-correct, but full of character. Instead of trying to “restore” it into something it could no longer be, I decided to give it a second life.

The cream-colored lampshade is secondhand. The round wooden base? Scrap plywood I found in a friend’s garage — leftover from some forgotten project. Nothing new, nothing fancy. Just pieces waiting for a reason to exist again.

Now it’s a small night light.

The lens that once captured light now softly diffuses it.
The camera that used to freeze moments now creates atmosphere.

Upcycling, for me, isn’t just about saving materials — it’s about preserving stories and letting objects continue their journey in a different form.

Made in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Six years ago, at a flea market, I saw a young guy trying to sell his old, broken skateboard. He was saving up for a new one, but people just walked by without even looking at that piece of plywood.

I was struck by his determination. I bought the skateboard from him, even though at the time I had no idea what I would do with it. The board just sat in my garage until I had a brainwave.

In the end, I turned it into a loft-style wall lamp. I installed adjustable incandescent bulbs (a dimmer is a must for this kind of atmosphere), kept all the battle scars and scuffs on the deck, sanded the edges, and coated the skateboard with varnish to preserve its history.

It's nice to know that a broken thing didn't just end up in the trash, but became a cool art object in a new home. I hope that kid is already riding his new board, or maybe even a motorcycle. After all, it's been six years!

It was my first loft-style lamp. I went to the bird market with a friend who needed to buy food for his canaries. There was an old woman there selling all sorts of things and items, like at a flea market. One item caught my eye; it looked like part of a wall sconce, but without a shade or socket. It was part of a sconce manufactured in the GDR in the mid-1950s. But this wooden base was veneered and varnished. I like old furniture from the 50s and 60s, heavy and veneered with real wood, not vinyl veneer. I bought it, not knowing what for. I restored it and varnished it. Then I bought a metal sliding lampshade in the loft style and an Edison incandescent bulb, and I became fascinated by this style and started making lamps in the loft style.