For many of us, to be 17 again would mean an uninhibited diet, minimal responsibility and a special relationship with the backseat of a car. There’s something nostalgic about the leather bench seat of an old car that brings back fond memories of a time when 9-5 signified freedom from Mom and Dad. If one could capture that back seat and put in their living room, who knows what could happen.

Eleanor. Designed by Jesse Hooker.

Hooker Design/Build, a Brooklyn based furniture company, is helping us relive the past with the Eleanor series. Jesse Hooker has created a matching settee “Eleanor” and bench “Eleanor B” made from thick slab antique yellow pine and a reclaimed rear seat and upholstery from a 1969 Ford Mustang fastback. The materials of Eleanor are the highlight of the piece, with juxtapositions of warm and cold, soft and hard, dark and light all wrapped up in a simply designed settee. The pine wood has a highly figured pattern that is an interesting contrast to the grooved vintage leather. While the black leather is soft to the touch, there is something rough and gritty about leather that makes the natural feeling of the wood necessary.

Eleanor. Designed by Jesse Hooker.

Eleanor. Designed by Jesse Hooker.

Eleanor. Designed by Jesse Hooker.

Eleanor B. Designed by Jesse Hooker.

Eleanor B. Designed by Jesse Hooker.

This type of reuse reminds me of Bike Furniture by Andy Gregg, which upcycles used bicycles and turns them into contemporary, fun pieces of furniture. Both designers are turning transportation devices into quirky furniture that would make anyone smile. Hooker’s use of wood makes the Eleanor series warmer, but both collections have an air of youth that is nice to see.

via contemporist