Maybe it’s because I’m used to my mom trying to rescue pieces of furniture that have been thrown away, but seeing a discarded couch on the streets of Miami was never a big deal to me. For Sharif Salem, a Londoner who moved to Miami, seeing couches on Little Havana curbs was something that filled him with questions. “It was just odd to see them,” he told the Miami New Times. “It made me think, ‘why would people be throwing out huge pieces of furniture like that? It is because of the economy?…Are people getting thrown out of their homes?’ It was a question mark.” It was enough to get him to start photographing the couches and posting them on his Instagram.
It snowballed from there. Now, he has a Facebook page and website, where he shows off the pics, and many people send him pictures of abandoned couches around the world. He’s also shown his work at a Wynwood gallery.
Check out some of his images below:
Street magic
Posted by Sofas of Little Havana on Friday, August 21, 2015
I wish I was a little bit taller. #sofasoflittlehavana #sofagram #streetfurniture #junkpile #bulkpickupthursday
Posted by Sofas of Little Havana on Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Up the garden path #sofasofSW2ndst #sofasoflittlehavana #sofagram #lilhavana #littlehavana #miami
Posted by Sofas of Little Havana on Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Bikes may use full lane #sofasoflittlehavana #littlehavana #miami #sofagram #streetfurniture
Posted by Sofas of Little Havana on Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Familiar places, same old faces #dak #nothingreallymattress #sofasofSW2ndst #nosofa #littlehavana #miami #dumped
Posted by Sofas of Little Havana on Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Allapattah, FL.
Posted by Sofas of Little Havana on Monday, August 17, 2015
Live from Little Havana
Posted by Sofas of Little Havana on Tuesday, August 11, 2015
This is for the Gs and this is for the Hustlas. #sofasofwynwood #sofagram
Posted by Sofas of Little Havana on Friday, August 7, 2015
#tbt #sofasoflittlehavana #littlehavana #streetseats #streetfurniture #letstalkrubbish #lilhavana
Posted by Sofas of Little Havana on Thursday, August 6, 2015
Still here, sitting watching waiting #sofasoflittlehavana #bulkpickupthursday #littlehavana #lilhavana #floriduh #miamistyle #streetfurniture
Posted by Sofas of Little Havana on Thursday, July 30, 2015
Cover photo by Sharif Salem