Giving new ?life to worn ?castoffs

Industrial remnants have become raw materials for two sisters, whose interior-design gallery, Silver Hippopotamus, makes beautiful objects out of worn castoffs.

Beth Scanlon Melfi, an artist, and her sister, Kathleen Scanlon McGovern, a marketer, have combined talents in their company, which began in July 2014. Last fall, they moved into a dedicated space in the Mad Dog Artist Studios, 65 Blackstone Ave., Pawtucket.

For inspiration and materials, the sisters duck into mill buildings and industrial sites that are either closed or being vacated, and visit estate sales. Sometimes they find materials on the side of the road. “We go in open-minded. You have to be open to all possibilities,” McGovern said.

The two then incorporate the materials into new forms. A wooden mold with elaborate patterns, originally used in a steel mill in Wisconsin, was transformed into frames for mirrors.

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At an estate sale in South Kingstown, they secured a vintage Chevrolet sign that a car dealership had already cut down and turned into a door. They recast it for a third life, as a table top in their conference room.

“This has another life yet,” Melfi said. •

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