Bronx-based artist creates sustainable furniture utilizing salvaged and recycled materials

NEW YORK -- In a city full of discarded items, there's an artist finding beauty in materials relegated to the trash.

Meet Tiffany Gomez, a Bronx-native who is on a mission to build furniture and functional art made entirely from salvaged and recycled materials.

"I always found wood to be a beautiful material," says Tiffany Gomez, founder and creative director of Gomez Design Studio. "There's so much that you can do with it," she adds.

"Being in New York and seeing all the waste all the time, garbage everywhere, it's always been kind of a part of my subconscious where I see this stuff and I'm like, I don't know why it's here," Gomez explains.

Gomez repurposes discarded construction waste in tandem with materials like plastic, textiles, ceramic and stone. The results are stunning, geometrically intricate surfaces including tables and wall art. She plays with vibrant colors in some pieces while allowing the natural colors of wood to speak for themselves in others.

"There is a love of functionality within art," says Gomez. "I love that I can use these pieces, you can have them as a table and then if you want just hang [them] up on your wall," she adds.

From a young age, Gomez was surrounded by family members that were handy and she credits that exposure with pushing her towards a degree in Architectural Design and later, inspiring the works she creates today.

"I learned about my grandfather working with wood not too long ago...and I wear this as a badge of honor and I'm proud," Gomez says.

You can shop some of her pieces on her website or on her Etsy storefront.