When you think magnificent, scrap metal doesn’t usually come to mind.



But one eighty design’s Tammy Roy makes it so.

Inspired by her mom, whose favorite hobby is rummaging through industrial dumpsters and scrap yards, Tammy is completely obsessed with creating objects from discarded metals she finds while dumpster diving. The process of the steel and materials she finds and sculpts into something new and beautiful–and, at times, whimsical–is a “180” turnaround.


Votive candle holder

Where does all the stuff comes from?

“Sourcing is a huge part of the process and can be such a treasure hunt. There have been more than a few raised eyebrows upon my requests of rummaging through their dumpsters.”

She works with various steel manufacturers and collects their waste and scrap pieces that inspire her. Her favorite finds come from mountains of twisted and mangled steel at the local scrap yard.

“I could spend hours searching and plucking pieces of rebar and rusted machinery. I never know what I’m going to come across and, as a result, I never know what it will ultimately transform into. But the process is completely intoxicating and I can’t imagine doing anything else.”


A bowl made from tools, washers, nuts, etc.

Tammy was raised in Stratford, WI (population 1,523). Her parents were–and still are–workaholics who owned several small businesses including a repair shop, school bus company, gas station, car wash… and the list goes on.

“Needless to say,” Tammy recalls, “my brother and I were forced into slave labor at a very young age.”

Her background is graphic design and she learned a lot from her mom–the ultimate dumpster diver and fellow recycle-based artist. And, unlike most moms and daughters you find out shopping or chatting at the coffee shop, you’ll find Tammy and her mom pulling scraps of steel from salvage yards!

Tammy’s favorite Pablo Picasso quotes says it all:
“I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.”



Originally published in elephantjournal.com
You can find one-eighty design pieces at myEARTH360.com.

The founder of myEARTH360.com (a proud sponsor of the Antarctica Challenge screenings at the International Polar Year Conference) plus the I Count for myEARTH blog and campaign, Lynn is also a contributing editor to a number of online environment focused publications. You can find her on twitter and facebook. Guaranteed. Most days between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. She practices breathing when she thinks of it, runs, intends to do more yoga and loves to eat ice cream and dark chocolate. She lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband, son and two feisty cats; and considers herself an environmental and human rights activist.