Fishing craft to foosball tables, furniture to float your boat

Beautiful boats reborn

Beautiful boats reborn

Beautiful boats reborn

Beautiful boats reborn

Beautiful boats reborn

Beautiful boats reborn

Beautiful boats reborn

Beautiful boats reborn

Beautiful boats reborn

Beautiful boats reborn

Beautiful boats reborn

Beautiful boats reborn

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Artlantique produces furniture made from old fishing boats in Senegal

Many of the colorful boats have sailed the Atlantic for 50 years

The company's creations can be found in stores in Europe, New York and Tokyo

(CNN) -- In the white sand beaches of Yoff, the small fishing town just north of the Senegalesecapital Dakar, a seemingly endless line of brightly colored boats dots the Atlantic seaside.

It was here, about four years ago, that Spanish designer Ramon Llonch was first struck by themysterious symbols and intricate patterns adorning the hand-painted wooden vessels.

"I was amazed by the beauty of the fishing boats, many of which were old, damaged by the salt andthe sun or abandoned," remembers Llonch, who was at the time cycling solo around the WestAfrican country. "I was captivated by that colorful mosaic of life with the women selling the fish andthe men approaching the shore," he adds.

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Looking at the old, weathered canoes, Llonch started wondering whether he could find a new use forthem while preserving the history of their owners. His idea was to work with skillful local craftsmenand breathe new life into the traditional "pirogues" by transforming them into hand-made furniture.

And that's how Artlantique was born, a company repurposing boats that are no longer sea worthyinto upcycled fittings -- anything from whimsical chairs and coffee tables to one-of-a-kind cabinetsand even foosball tables.

"It's like a reincarnation of something that had life before -- a life in the Atlantic, a life in Africa,"says Llonch. "Every time you see this furniture, you have a piece of the soul and the history of thesefishermen," adds the 52-year-old designer.

Long journey

From the waters off the coast of Senegal, through the Dakar-based workshop, to several storesacross the world, the journey of transforming the old fishing boats into furniture is far from easy.

Artlantique employs 12 craftsmen, including a co-ordinator who is in regular contact with the localfishermen about the purchase of those boats whose life span on the ocean waters has ended --usually after 40 to 50 years of use.

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After transporting the boats into Artlantique's workshop, the company's master carpenters start thearduous task of dismantling the 12-meter long vessels. Once that's completed, they decide how toreconstruct the old samba wood -- depending on its size, condition and color combinations -- withoutany wood treatment or additional painting.

It's like a reincarnation of something that had life before -- a life in the Atlantic, a life in Africa.

Ramon Llonch, Artlantique, founder

Artlantique's eclectic creations are then shipped to Barcelona, Llonch's base, and from there theyare sent to clients across Europe, as well as stores in New York and Tokyo.

Passion for Africa

Llonch says that what makes the furniture special is the history behind it and the creativity of theartisans working with raw materials that are hard to remodel.

"The main reason of this project is to preserve the wood as it was, with all the stories, all thenautical miles sailed in Atlantic," says Llonch.

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"This wood ... has certain limitations, not only because it has a shape but also because it's verydamaged by the salt, the sea, the sun and the time. But these artisans are very talented," he adds."Their creativity is not academic, they are like this by nature because (for them) recycling andreusing is not a fashion, it's not a trend."

Looking ahead, Llonch says his goal is to expand the business and help other skilled craftsmen to

develop their creative talents.

"Africa for me is a social inspiration, it's my passion," he says. "We started with the fishing boats ...because I was astonished when I saw the beaches with these stylish boats but maybe this is just thebeginning," adds Llonch.

"There is a lot of creativity that we can use and we can take from African artists -- I want to continueto collaborate and discover the African talent, this is my aim."