When a passion for repurposing is focused on furniture, the opportunities are limitless. Discarded street signs and broken skateboards provide vibrant patterns for tables and seats. A vintage radiator is a showpiece as the base on a desk. Empty toilets evoke smiles as a whimsical way to display potted plants.
Whether shopping for upcycled products, embellishing pieces you already own, or embarking on a unique DIY design, repurposing is exciting, economical, and satisfying. Sometimes, it’s also delightfully outrageous. Ideally, it’s kind to the planet.
For repurposing and repurposed furniture ideas, we tapped into the creativity of innovative artisans, shop owners, and DIYers.
Skateboards
The folks who launched SkateOrDesign on Etsy repurpose broken skateboards bought from shops and parks. They freshen up components and piece them together as shelves, benches, desks, and other assorted products.
“The skateboard art and colors on parts are matched and selected by our skater-craftsman much like a fine woodworker selects the grain and color of his lumber,” says Jason Podlaski, who established the Pennsylvania-based business with his brother Adam.
For DIYers, the website Upcycle That offers an assortment of tutorials, including instructions on building skateboard display shelves.
Dresser Drawers
Upcycled is a nifty gift boutique with such intriguing items as bike tube wallets and skateboard earrings.
Repurposing at the business in Missoula, Montana, extends to their innovative display units. Especially noteworthy is an intentionally free-form tower of assorted dresser drawers, stacked upright with the open spaces facing forward. The display unit, which is securely anchored to the wall for safety, draws plenty of interest, especially for folks who appreciate repurposed furniture ideas. Shoppers snap pictures and ask for instructions on building their own, says store owner Donovan Peterson
It’s easy, says Peterson. Stack drawers in a pattern you like. Add screws to lock them together, and anchor the unit securely to the wall at the top. If you want to revise the design, simply remove the screws and restack. “We treat these things like building blocks. We move them around,” he says.
Peterson’s knack for repurposing is expressed in assorted projects at the store and his home. For example, he repurposed golf woods as towel rods by hanging them horizontally in his bathroom at home.
For novice repurposers seeking ideas, Donovan suggests picking a specific item and thinking of 20 or so different ways to reuse it. One of those ideas just might be the inspiration you need to kick-start your project.
Assorted Upcycled Furniture Projects
- A decades-old radiator provides a distinctive base for a desk with a sleek glass top. You can find this beautiful repurposed piece by Thatch Vintage on Etsy.
- Wood reclaimed from demolished bowling alleys provides a durable surface with a hint of nostalgia. Etsy.com features a variety of pieces made with reclaimed bowling lane wood, including beautiful dining tables, benches, and coffee tables.
- Juro Vyboh of Bratislava, Slovakia, is an artisan with a variety of repurposed furniture ideas. He incorporates wood, pieces from old furniture, and steel — including pieces of bicycle chain — into his upcycled designs sold in the JurajVyboh Etsy shop.
- Streets signs provide bright fun for chairs and other furniture sold on Artful Home. Designer Boris Bally “transforms recycled street signs and found materials into objects for the home that celebrate a raw American street aesthetic,” the website states.
Display It Outside
Sara Getzkin, a professional organizer with Hands On Organizing Services in Los Angeles, likes the idea of repurposing parts of old furniture and other items in the garden. The frames of dining chairs, especially bentwood chairs, often work nicely as a trellis for vines and flowers. Tying two or more chairs back to back might make a nice focal point in a garden, Getzkin says.
Another opportunity for a trellis, she says, is a head rail or foot rail from a brass or wrought iron bed frame.
For a quirky outdoor planter, add greenery to the tank and the bowl of an empty old toilet, Getzkin suggests. It’s definitely something that nabs attention, she says.
For instructions on repurposing a chair and other items for the garden, the website Upcycle That offers an assortment of tutorials.
Repositioning
Repurposing furniture by reassigning it for a fresh use is a budget-friendly and valuable tool for organizing, Getzkin says. Before dumping unwanted bookcases or cabinets, consider whether they’d be useful in another room. “As an organizer, I am always looking for more storage,” she says. “You never know when that old bookcase can organize things in the garage or laundry room.”
Feature image courtesy of Shutterstock
Editor’s note: Originally published on September 22, 2017, this article was updated in November 2019.