A pair of designers in Lebanon have transformed their showroom into a community center where people can bring in home furnishings damaged in last month’s Beirut explosion to be repaired.
The designers, Hoda Baroudi and Maria Hibri, are the founders of the Lebanese brand Bokja, a design studio that produces beautiful handmade. Now the duo have transformed the studio’s showroom into a furniture repair shop where all damaged home goods can be fixed for free.
The repair studio, which is being called Bokja Mends, involves artisans who use a signature red stitch to sew the pieces back together, an initiative that the studio calls “stitching Beirut back together again”.
“The signature stitch is a red stitch inspired from a surgical suture normally used to close and heal wounds on the human body,” Bokja explained.
Thus far, Bokja Mends has sene people bring in sofas, armchairs and bed headboards. The studio said that it was unsure of what to expect due to the extent of the blast, but is prepared for all sorts of furnishings.
“As dedicated menders and fixers, we are hoping to restore some of the people’s comfort,” the studio told sign magazine Dezeen.
