Reclaimed Woman

sara morel

I'm Sara Morel, host of the Reclaimed Woman podcast. Whether you're dressing yourself or your home, this is your source for reuse. Here we get into the joy of vintage, antiques, salvage, and making the most of what's already out there. I founded Reclaimed Woman to share the journey of my renovation with as much reuse of salvage and vintage pieces as possible. After restoring my home with reclaimed materials, I was encouraged to challenge myself and how I lived, worked, and even dressed to do things differently. I began researching brands and interviewing people who bring reuse into their work and lifestyle to learn from those genuinely doing it individually. I am addicted to storied antiques and reclaimed materials, and the people behind the independent shops, businesses and brands I meet often become a part of the story when you source this way – hence the podcast.  It is easy to forget that eight years ago, when I created Reclaimed Woman, finding sustainable ways to dress ourselves or our homes was much harder. On the surface, it seems like everything has advanced hugely, and the word "sustainable" is part of our mainstream language. But in fashion terms, it can be hard to separate the green from the washing, so I still seek out and share ideas and places to help you (and me) design and source more intentionally. Whether you’re dressing yourself or your home, join me on the journey into the reuse lifestyle. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episodes

  1. JAN 27

    Liberation from landfill stone by stone with Alessandra and Charlie of Leleni Studio

    Move to Barcelona, start a design studio, and rescue thousands of square metres of materials from a historic stone yard slated for demolition. This isn’t your usual relocation, but this is the story of Leleni Studio. Founders Alessandra Monarcha and Charlie Paddick share the remarkable journey, from their first project, Liberation from Landfill, to collections crafted from rescued materials. Moving to a new city and starting a business is hard enough. Doing so while questioning established industry systems is another challenge entirely. Just because material offcuts are being wasted, it doesn’t mean that they aren’t worthy of more, and what better case for the campaign to liberate them from landfill than Leleni’s designs?  Drawing from their experience in architecture, design, and reclamation, hear about the beauty of working with natural stone, salvage stories, and how their work is helping to mobilise reuse in Spain and beyond.  See images from the projects we covered in the episode here We touched on Australia's decision to ban the use of engineered stone. Read more about it and the potential health issues here Explore Leleni Studio Find Leleni Studio on Instagram @lelenistudio Find their other collaborative business Urban Resources Recursos Urbans on Instagram here Find me on Instagram @reclaimedwoman & TikTok @reclaimedwoman And please share this podcast with fellow reclaimers, vintage junkies or anyone you are trying to introduce to the joys of the reuse lifestyle. Thank you! Music courtesy of Pinecone Moonshine, Sanity & Soundness, Flapdoodle by dgoHn Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    33 min
  2. 07/31/2025

    Hot heritage. Reclaim, restore, reuse with David Lucas of Reclaimed Radiators

    Reclaimed Radiators founder David Lucas shares his journey — from restoring dainty decorative antiques, known as “smalls” in the trade, to architectural heavyweights: original cast iron radiators. We discuss salvage stories and the restoration and reuse of reclaimed radiators. It’s a fascinating chat if, like me, you’re exploring efficient ways to heat an older home or are curious about how the past can help shape the future, while reducing the carbon footprint of your renovation. David also gives me a tour of his kitchen, featuring a beautifully experimental radiator finish and his 1950s cabinetry so you might want to see visuals while you listen. Images and more at reclaimedwoman.com (scroll to the end of this story here about salvage in And Just Like That... You'll get the method to my Manhattan reference when you listen) or on socials linked below. Explore Reclaimed Radiators  Reclaimed Radiators is a member of the Salvo Code, a world-leading reclamation assurance scheme for businesses that meet high standards in responsible sourcing.  Find Reclaimed Radiators on Instagram @reclaimedradiators Find me on Instagram @reclaimedwoman & TikTok @reclaimedwoman And please share this podcast with fellow reclaimers, vintage junkies or anyone you are trying to introduce to the joys of the reuse lifestyle. Thank you! Music courtesy of Pinecone Moonshine, Sanity & Soundness, Flapdoodle by dgoHn Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    30 min
  3. 06/25/2025

    Vintage reflections with Brian and Marcus of homeware brand Opto

    It all began with a mid-century Mexican hand mirror that now hangs in my hall. Think of the things that give a home feeling, and meet Opto, a homeware brand of one-of-a-kind vintage pieces founded by Brian Tufte and Marcus Stemp. Our conversation gave me a lot of peace ahead of the next phase of my home renovation, so I am excited for you to hear their approach to collecting and designing their home. Slow design can be easy to preach and harder to practise in a world accustomed to next-day delivery. Even though I had experienced the benefits of taking my time, living in my old flat to get a feel for the space while gradually sourcing reclaimed materials, I was able to do the actual renovation in one go. By contrast, my current reno is happening piece by piece, room by room, which has been an adjustment.  Tips from Marcus' mum and their take on the evolution of a room recharged my commitment to getting to know a home before making changes. We chat about timelessness, sourcing travels, and my thing for their vintage mirrors. Explore Opto  See their upcoming pop-ups here  Find Opto on Instagram @optoldn Find me on Instagram @reclaimedwoman & TikTok @reclaimedwoman Images and more at reclaimedwoman.com And please share this podcast with fellow reclaimers, vintage junkies or anyone you are trying to introduce to the joys of the reuse lifestyle. Thank you! Music courtesy of Pinecone Moonshine, Sanity & Soundness, Flapdoodle by dgoHn Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    32 min

About

I'm Sara Morel, host of the Reclaimed Woman podcast. Whether you're dressing yourself or your home, this is your source for reuse. Here we get into the joy of vintage, antiques, salvage, and making the most of what's already out there. I founded Reclaimed Woman to share the journey of my renovation with as much reuse of salvage and vintage pieces as possible. After restoring my home with reclaimed materials, I was encouraged to challenge myself and how I lived, worked, and even dressed to do things differently. I began researching brands and interviewing people who bring reuse into their work and lifestyle to learn from those genuinely doing it individually. I am addicted to storied antiques and reclaimed materials, and the people behind the independent shops, businesses and brands I meet often become a part of the story when you source this way – hence the podcast.  It is easy to forget that eight years ago, when I created Reclaimed Woman, finding sustainable ways to dress ourselves or our homes was much harder. On the surface, it seems like everything has advanced hugely, and the word "sustainable" is part of our mainstream language. But in fashion terms, it can be hard to separate the green from the washing, so I still seek out and share ideas and places to help you (and me) design and source more intentionally. Whether you’re dressing yourself or your home, join me on the journey into the reuse lifestyle. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.