Repurposed furniture has taken recycling to the next level, where outdated scrap objects have been given a new lease on life. It has also given us a different perspective about how we look at things. Most repurposed furniture use scrap items and discarded materials, for creating something fresh and unique. The best thing about this type of furniture is that, it can be made by anyone who has some creativity and imagination. In order to make this at home as a DIY project, you may need to brush up on your carpentry and welding skills. Here are some ideas that you can use.
Ideas for Repurposed Furniture
#1 - Driftwood Furniture
Driftwood can be put to good use for making tables, chairs, peg tables, long benches etc. In our home, we have a driftwood table at home, on which we have placed a simple and clear round glass tabletop. If in case you decide to make a table using this wood, make sure that the base of the stump or bark is broad enough for the glass to rest on. Cut a bit off from the roots, so that the wood can stand evenly on the ground. You can even make stools out of driftwood by placing small tires and fixing beautiful cushions on them. It would be nice if you could paint the tires with some flashy colors such as gold, silver or bronze.
#2 - Repurposed Wall Rack
You may use driftwood, scrap wood, or plastic planks, for making a wall rack. If you do not wish to drill nails into your wall, you may fix loops into both the sides of each rack. You may then use flexible wire or strong synthetic strings, that must be attached to the loops and be connected to the ceiling. You may either use opaque strings or choose to decorate the strings with colorful beads. You can also try painted furniture for a change, by simply painting the racks in different colors. Use three to five racks, which must form an attractive design as a wall rack.
#3 - CD Curtains
These are very simple to make. Firstly, take all your old damaged CDs and tie them with invisible synthetic threads. You can either use the normal CDs or paint your CDs with vibrant colors if you wish. This can be done with old LPs as well, which give a retro appeal to the entire decor.
#4 - Vintage Gate Furniture
You may have come across vintage gates, well the trick is to cut off the patch of the design that you wish to incorporate. You can use the pieces to make a tabletop, or make the legs for a shelf or a chair. You can even make a lamp with it or make frames for paintings. The gate can also be used as a part of the bed to make the headboard. It can also be used to make a small bridge for your garden pond.
#5 - Suitcase Chairs
You have chairs that have been designed out of suitcases and office briefcases. These suitcases can be fitted with comfortable upholstery and must be fixed with stable legs. The results will be some really comfortable and unique looking chairs. Similarly, you can make cozy suitcase beds for your pet cat or dog as well.
#6 - Book Art
If you are not an ardent reader and do not mind using books as works of art, you can definitely try experimenting with discarded books. You can make a small table using heavy books, by piling them one on top of the other in a jagged manner. You must form two pillars of books, in order to place a glass top on them. A safer option would be to simply connect the two pillars with even more books by placing them within the pillars. Much like playing Jenga using wooden blocks. You can also make ceiling hangings using a book. All you need to do is to hang the books facing down, so that the hook is fixed to the cover of the book and is attached to the ceiling. Now gently fold the pages in the center of the book. Make a design, which ensures that the pages gently glide down to make a beautiful design.
#7 - Table Fan Lamp
You can even take inspiration from a ceiling lamp that can be made with an old wall fan. The fan blades are to be removed and replaced with a light bulb. You will need to get the bulb socket fixed accordingly, for the light to function properly. The entire fan can then be covered with a bright translucent fabric or sheet.
#8 - Bicycle Wheel Art
The old bicycle wheel can be put to great use. It can be adapted to look like an edgy wall hanging, a magazine and letter holder, or a chandelier! The wheel can be used for making a comfortable chair or round table. It can be used for growing money plants, if the cycle wheel is made to lean on a wall, thereby allowing the vines to extend through the gaps. You can also place decorative flower pots around the wheel. Another great idea is to use discarded shoes, boots, and stilettos for growing small plants!
#9 - Chalkboard Art
Any plain surface in your house can be turned into a chalkboard! You can create handmade art, update messages on the walls of your home, rather than your Facebook page. You can turn an empty wall, the door of your fridge, your useless mirrors and other abandoned things into works of art, by making them chalk-friendly. You can convert your children's room into a blackboard room, so that the kids can doodle away for hours, while you leave a few sums and quizzes for them to practice on in their free time.
#10 - Repurposed Dresser
Collect as many discarded dressers as you can. You may paint them all with various vibrant colors or simply let them be. Now pile them up, so as to make an attractive design, while giving it a modern as well as vintage appeal. The best thing about this idea, is that you can use all the drawers for a special purpose.
There is absolutely no limit to what you can create with the materials available around you. You can use almost anything such as skateboards, surfboards, walking sticks, milk cartons, and even garbage bins, for coming up with brilliant repurposed furniture. And if you can't make them, there are many stores and online shopping portals, which offer such innovative furniture on sale.
