Turn trash into furniture: 14 ingenious recycling projects to make furniture and DIY decorations

There are an increasing number of DIY enthusiasts who like to spend their free time recycling old objects. This pastime is not only fun and a source of great satisfaction, but it is also very useful for saving money, helping the environment by reducing waste and reusing valuable materials.

If you already take on DIY recycling projects, the time may have come for you to try something more challenging, like refurbishing you entire home.

If you're looking for inspiration, we present 14 brilliant recycling projects below:

1. Baskets and containers

Old newspapers and magazines are usually destined for the trash, yet they can easily find a new life in your home. You can also involve children in this fun project, in which you just need to cut out 5 cm wide strips of newspapers or magazines, which you will fold twice lengthwise. Weave the strips and you will easily produce a wonderful basket.

2. Coffee table for the living room

You are probably already aware of the possibility of transforming old tires into planters, but how about something more challenging? Chairs, armchairs, sofas, tables... there are many projects that you can take on, some of which are very original, such as this wonderful living room table with a refrigerated bucket for your drinks. Start by sealing one of the two sides of the tire with a plywood base. Then, wrap the whole tire with rope and insert a bucket into the top. Complete the project with with another piece of plywood that will serve as a lid.

3. Coat hanger

An old wooden ladder may be destined for the fireplace, but you can easily transform it into a wonderful coat hanger. Paint it in a color you like and secure it to the wall like a shelf: you can use it as a shelf but also hang up clothes and coats on it.

4. Suitcase shelving

Vintage suitcases are undoubtedly very charming, but do they really suit modern homes? For this reason, they often get forgotten in the attic. Bring them back to life by transforming them into shelving units: you just need to open them, add some small feet, mount shelves inside and you're done: a wonderful bookcase or a piece of furniture for storing your kitchen items, or maybe your shoes.

5. Vintage bedside tables

Speaking of suitcases, how about turning two of them into wonderful vintage bedside tables for your bedroom?

6. Bottle shelves

How many glass bottles do you get through in a year? Start keeping those of the same height - they can come in handy for building interesting shelving units! But that's not all: have you ever thought of a bottle coffee table? And the light fittings? Start keeping your glass bottle and one day, they will come in handy!

7. Chest of drawers or furniture?

Old wardrobes or chests of drawers are probably not always completely ruined: in fact, the drawers might still be in near-perfect condition and you can use them as a toy shelving unit for your children - or as kitchen trolleys or simple tables.

8. From old pot to basket

Old pots and pans might seem to be useless once their cooking career is over. Yet a few adjustments are enough to transform them into wonderful containers for our kitchens: clad them with a layer of rope or simply paint them to bring them back to life.

9. Coffee table with shelving

Old, wooden cable reels can be used for more than just firewood. Paint one in the color you like and place it in the living room: it will be a perfect coffee table with a practical shelf to store books or othe objects.

10. DIY sofa

Even an old bathtub can come in handy for those who know how to use creativity: cut it in half, create a soft seat with a some cushions and your sofas is ready in a flash.

11. Plastic crates

Do you have any of those ugly plastic crates? With a little imagination you can easily transform them into something unique and beautiful: coffee tables, shelves, stands and much more.

12. A cultured table

Throwing away books is always a sin, but often our homes are so full that we are forced to make a choice and toss out the older or less interesting ones. If you haven't already donated them to some library or sold them at a flea market, you can use them as raw material for the construction of a table. It will be a real wonder.

13. Retro dining

Instead of throwing away the old doors when you replace them, transform them into a new table for your dining room: original and impressive.

14. A bench of memories

How many pleasant memories do you have of skateboarding when you were a kid?! So why not recycle your old, unused skateboard in a creative way? You can easily make a useful bench, perhaps to be placed in the shade in the garden.

Which project do you want to start with?