Many of us in the Bay Area have used Craigslist to find cheap furniture. In the spirit of creative reuse, designer Peter Raphael Russo went a step further, obtaining junk from the “Free Stuff” section of Craigslist and turning that junk into functional but mind-bending chairs and furniture. One wood-framed chair features a quilt of woven old ties used to make the C-shaped seat. His masterpiece, though, is a sofa that uses sod grass instead of seat cushions and back rests.

“My furniture is modern, with somewhat of a mid-century influence,” he says. “I strive for all of my work (both furniture and nonfurniture alike) to be serious but not stuffy, with an eye for detail.”