Home Decor with Purpose
Art from rubble.
Beauty from brokenness.
We are an award-winning home decor social enterprise. In our work, we blend social, environmental, heritage preservation, reconciliation and beauty creation dimensions. All of our one-of-a-kind items are handcrafted out of reclaimed materials and architectural salvage found in conflict zones. We employ marginalized and disabled persons and help them become skilled artisans. Our flagship brand, [beyt], means house or home in Semitic languages. We belong to the community of Certified B Corporations aiming to use the power of business to solve social and environmental issues. Discover the journey of our creations throughout this lookbook.
Heritage Most 18th, 19th and early 20th century traditional houses in conflict/post conflict zones in the Near East have been destroyed by violence and unchecked real estate development. Preservation efforts are almost non-existent. The journey of our creations often starts in a remote village where we painstakingly search for
discarded architectural elements, sometimes in mounds of rubble and reminiscent of a treasure hunt. On paper, we reimagine each find as a lamp, a table, a mirror, a candleholder or a unique decorative item. Our drawings are then carefully translated into timeless creations by the hands of our skilled artisans.
“The experience of buying a coffee table from [beyt] is not simply a transaction, but a connection to things that matter in this world. And out of that comes the most incredible beauty -- not only in the pieces of art they sell, but in the way they do business.�
Billie J.
[beyt] creations reflect the different style periods of the transformed gates, balconies, railings, windows, doors and other salvaged architectural elements. From 18th and 19th century traditional French and Venetian influenced designs to Art Nouveau and Art Deco, each item carries with it a piece of history in a particularly contemporary look.
The pillows and lampshades, which are handmade in Cambridge, boast an incredible blend of various cultural influences, styles, texture, patterns, designs and colors. Suzani fabrics from Central Asia are paired with vintage, hand-dyed damask linen from French bridal dowries, antique saris from India or other fabric remnants.
“I bought a lamp at [beyt] and it’s such happiness therapy! I look at it, recognize its beauty and everything linked with it.”
Lynn D.
BEAUTY “The items in your store were a perfect combination of beauty and inspiration. Each piece we purchased, the lamp and lamp shade, glass votives, copper pots and sachets of lavender were beautiful gifts to special friends and family. How you make these pieces of art also made us feel great about how we were helping to make a difference in a small way. We told your stories to the people who received each special gift and how we were supporting our global community and building bridges. “
Jill & Larry
From London to San Francisco, Paris to New York and other cities around the world, our customers become our best ambassadors, enthusiastically sharing the story of their [beyt] treasures with their friends and family.
The non profit sector and government are necessary but not always sufficient to address challenges faced by society. We believe that business can play an incredibly positive role in addressing social and environmental challenges. We chose to be a business that inspires others. Prestigious universities often invite us to share our model and the international media has covered our story.
“We want to be a values-driven business, not just profit-driven, so as to be truly transformational.�
Raja & Benedicte
Social Commitment & Bridge Building We employ marginalized, homeless and disabled individuals in the Middle East and the US who have limited access to dignified jobs. 100% of our iron workers are disabled and 100% of the female workers we have hired since the creation of [beyt] come from marginalized backgrounds. It took us many years to build a first class team of artisans and to perfect the technique of transforming and redesigning architectural salvage into art.
We amplify our social impact through partnerships with various non-profit organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, among others. We involve people of diverse cultural, religious or ethnic backgrounds in our work in order to build bridges and promote reconciliation and peace.
“No one is absolutely certain of the origin of the tiles. The mystery of the cemento’s past added to the allure. Some say Italian craftsmen, inspired by the natural colors of granite and marble dust, were the creators. Others claim the tiles were produced in France[…]. Some say that the tile was first mentioned in Barcelona in 1857 and that from there, it flourished throughout Spain.”
Anthony Shadid, House of Stone
Lorraine Carrington came to [beyt] through Pine Street Inn, an organization that serves New England's homeless.
"Something being old and coming from a long distance, not knowing where it's been before it reached here — that's like me, never knowing the founders of [beyt] but they've reached out to offer me an opportunity to build my life back and do something different."
Lorraine Carrington.
Environment Over 90% of the raw materials used in creating our products come from reclaimed pieces. Since the birth of our enterprise we have used over 150,000 lbs of repurposed raw materials and transformed over 4,000 rescued elements of architecture into art. Nothing goes to waste!
“The word Suzani comes from the Persian word for “needle.” It refers specifically to the exquisite silk thread embroidery panels made by women of Central Asia in the area now known as Uzbekistan, located along the ancient Silk Roads...”
Alice Guercio
2b Design Home LLC 185 Mt Auburn St, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA Website: www.2bdesign.biz Email: support@2bdesign.biz Tel: 617 401 8415