Each season, there are a handful of new designers and brands that stop the House Tipster team in our tracks.  At the winter 2019 Maison & Objet in France, one of those standouts was Paulina Okurowska.

Nantes, France-based Okurowska isn’t just a designer, she’s a true artist in every sense of the word. Using upcycled roof shingles from France’s Brittany region, she strategically crafts elaborate mosaics for wall art and sculpture.

Her work is intricate and jaw-dropping. From the fanciful wings of SONGE D’LCARE to the spherical and bold RUNA, each piece takes upwards of three weeks or more to complete and is one of a kind.

While at Maison et Objet, designers and trend spotters Kelli Ellis and Patti Carpenter couldn’t help but notice Okurowska’s “innovative and different” approach to her art, and the particular fact that each piece took on a living quality.

“The material tells me what to do with it,” Okurowska explained. “And [each one] takes light in a different way every day.”

This means that depending on the time of day and location, the minerals from the roof shingles takes on a different look. On grey, overcast days, the mosaics may appear darker and more severe, whereas they may look more brown or golden on brighter days.

Some shingle splices are more time-worn than others, but that just adds to the character of the finished product.

Although she’s a first-timer at Maison, Paulina Okurowska’s mineral-based mosaics are a reminder that virtually any material can be turned into a spectacular piece of art.

“This is the best souvenir on the plant turned into art,” said Ellis. “It’s stunning.”