Spruce Up Your Home with Upcycled Décor

Last Updated on February 9, 2012

Spruce Up Your Home with Upcycled Décor

It’s the greenest thing since buying a Prius and creating a backyard compost heap: using upcycled home décor. Along the same lines as recycling, the idea behind this trend is to take an old object and use it for a new purpose. Rather than simply recycling, the goal with upcycling is to transform the old goods into something hip, funky and a step above the original. Have old mason jars lying around? Textbooks you never read? Good news: you’ve got options.

Suitcases to Chairs

If you have an old hard-cover suitcase lying around in a closet, you can get some use out of it without lugging it to the airport. Hard suitcases and old trunks make great chairs, whether closed and used as a stool or open with cushions inside. Check out any thrift or vintage store to find funky suitcases if you don’t own one, and don’t hesitate to spruce up an existing one with paint or fabric.

Books to Shelves

What better place to stack a pile of books than on top of another book? If you couldn’t sell back that old calculus textbook and you’re certain you won’t be dying to read it anytime soon, you can use it for a unique shelving option. A simple Internet search will teach you how to complete this project, and you’ll be left with an awesome conversation piece. Try using several at different levels on the same wall to mix things up.

Mason Jars to Chandeliers

The possibilities with this project are endless – so no matter what your personal decorating style, you can create something that fits. Hang the jars upside down, right-side up, sideways – whatever you want! You can mix it up by painting the jars or adding other ornamental gems to your masterpiece. For safety purposes, be sure to do your research on proper electrical wiring with this one!

Vinyl Records to Bowls

If you just can’t bring yourself to part with that old Simon & Garfunkel album, you can find a new way to cherish it without letting it collect dust on the shelf. Toss that record in an oven on low heat (about 200 degrees) and wait until it melts just enough to be flexible. Remove it with tongs and an oven mitt, immediately sandwich it between two bowls to create the right shape and give it a few minutes to cool – and like magic, you’ve got yourself a new bowl. Record bowls make ideal planters because of the built-in hole in the bottom, and are also a great place to toss your keys and other small knick-knacks on the entryway table.

Scrabble Tiles to Magnets

Have a passion for word games? Let it show in your home décor! Keep an eye out for old Scrabble sets at your local thrift stores or ask around for friends looking to ditch theirs. Pick up a strip of magnet backing at a craft store, heat up a hot glue gun and get to work. The end result will not only leave your refrigerator looking hip and fresh, but you’ll have endless entertainment while you’re waiting on those vinyl records you put in the oven.

Author Byline: Katie Hawkes is a freelance blogger for Heritage Crown and Millworks, an Arizona company that offers professional installation of crown moulding in Phoenix.