Let’s talk about protecting the environment – in other words, sustainability.
Did you know that Americans throw out 12 million tons of furniture yearly? Unfortunately, 80% of these 12 million tons are in landfills, making the furniture industry the most polluting and least sustainable.
When decorating our homes or offices, we should primarily focus on reducing our carbon footprint instead of buying new furniture and adding to the bulk of landfills.
You’ll be impressed with the positive changes it can bring to the whole look of your home. Wait till we spill our take on six new things you can do with your old furniture for the best outcome.
Redefining Old Furniture
So, if you take a look around, you will luckily notice old solid pieces lying in the basement, garage, or even right in front of you that you have wanted to dispose of. Hold that thought because this time, when you look at it, it’ll be to reuse this old piece and turn it into something new.
It could be old doors, broken chairs, an old tabletop, or any other piece that you can work with. For bigger pieces, you’ll need woodworking tools such as table saws that will help you cut them into smaller pieces. For more information on getting the right table saw, you can visit https://thetoolscout.com/best-table-saw/.
Plus, imagine the feeling of being the environmentally conscious one. Your newly remodeled furniture piece will not only have a story to tell but also add more character to your space.
Let’s look at some of the creative ways to reuse old pieces of furniture.
1. Old Containers Used For Storage
Old paint cans, storage containers, and tubs are all great candidates. They are usually thrown away or discarded – but if you have some waiting for you to give them a new life, just go for it.
All you need to do is clean it properly. You can paint it or give it a cover. You can use it for kitchen utensils, stationery holders, make-up baskets, or laundry. Imagine the character it would add to your decor. Try to stick to tones that match your home decor.
2. Dressers
This is a clever one – if you happen to own a wooden dresser that you no longer wish to use, just simply repurpose it! Paint it with a refreshing color to give it a new look. Place it close to the kitchen to store kitchen utensils, or turn it into a bookshelf. You could also take it out of the house and put it next to your backyard to store your gardening tools. Again, matching with relatively newer furniture is wise.
How about adding it to your children’s room? You could color it to store their school supplies. Get them to give you a hand while painting it.
3. Wooden Ladders
This is a gold idea. The use of ladders has been redefined over the last few years. They are known for their versatility. You could use it to hang scarves, towels, linens, blankets, and more.
You could keep it in the bathroom for the towels to be hung or in your bedroom where you want to repurpose it as a blanket hanger/holder.
Wooden ladders can also be kept as a statement piece. If you want to keep it in your garden area, just add some plant pots. Wait for them to grow a little, and it’ll be your favorite spot in no time.
4. Old Trunk and Boxes
This is similar to containers. If you have spare unused boxes made of metal and wood, you can repurpose them as coffee tables. Yes, you read that right. They can be placed next to the bed, as a bedside table. All you need to do is perhaps add legs to the box.
Give it a nice color, something that appeals to you. If you don’t want to paint it, you could also use a runner to cover the surface.
We have recently noticed that old trunks and boxes are being recycled for wedding decor pieces—what a fantastic way to put them to reuse.
5. Repurpose Trays
It is common to have old trays made of metal, steel, or wood. They are probably no longer able to serve food, that too in front of guests.
They are super easy to work with too. All you have to do is paint it. Before painting it, think about what you intend to do with it. You could use it as a placeholder or a repurposed tray. You could also add legs to it to convert it into another table. You could also add a mirror to it and hang it on the wall, like a mirror frame. There are endless options out there to repurpose trays.
6. Wooden Crates
Wooden crates are also all-rounders for this project. They can be used as decoration pieces or storage. You could also dismantle the wooden pieces of the crate to transform it into a brand new piece of furniture.
You could keep it raw or paint it. If you paint, make sure you use newspaper or recycled paper to cover the floors if you spill paint.
Conclusion
You must beinspired by this list of new things you can do with old furniture. It is very common for us to hold onto old pieces of furniture for decades because they carry stories, family history, and memories.
We often end up storing them in our basement, as they become too old to be used and too valuable to be thrown away. What better way to give it a new life other than reusing your dear old furniture. Let’s build away!
