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| Annie: repurposed shopping cart by Reestore Ltd., U.K. |
Words like “ecology” and “recycling” have become commonplace and a bit
tired these days now that we’ve been separating out our paper and plastic for a
good decade, and proudly carrying our reusable bags into even mainstream
supermarkets. Popular new additions to the green vocabulary are “salvage” and
“sustainability” which imply that new is not always better, even if it is
recyclable, and that each of us has an individual responsibility to think
beyond plastic and paper.
I wouldn’t argue that every old thing merits salvaging, or that “old”
must mean vintage. Instead, we are being called to re-examine the
ever-expanding contents of our closets, attics and garages and everywhere else
we see unused stuff awaiting the landfill, and question whether these everyday
objects have, in fact, reached the end of their useful lives.
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| Cork Chair: plywood, luan, gorilla glue, pins and 2,700 wine bottle corks by Aaron Kramer of Urban Objects |
1000 Ideas for Creative Reuse –
Remake, Restyle, Recycle, Renew
By Garth Johnson
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| Crutch Stool: crutches, bicycle wheels, foam insulation and bicycle innertubes by Ryan 'Zieak' McFarland |
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| Max: repurposed vintage cast-iron bath by Reestore Ltd., U.K. |
“1000 Ideas for Creative Reuse” enchants us with a padded armchair
fashioned from a shopping cart, a stool made from three crutches and a bicycle
wheel, and a loveseat carved from a clawfoot bathtub. Over 30 different
examples of ingenious seating have been developed from materials you might not
recognize without consulting the image directory in the back of the book. A
sleek folding chair is made from salvaged white-oak wine barrels. A “Jet Set
Lounge Chair” is made from eight skateboard decks and a metal frame. An armchair
and ottoman are made from corrugated cardboard and glue.
This enormous collection of household products made by international
designers from repurposed materials was put together by Garth Johnson, who
admits, “it was hard to limit myself to 1,000.” There are so many ideas in this
book you’ll begin to recognize the inherent salvagability in just about
everything. Not only have literally tons of cast-offs escaped the cruel fate of
the landfill, they’ve been magically transformed
into something truly extraordinary, and quite often, beautiful.
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| Jet Set Loung Chair: skateboard decks with cushions and metal frame by Gil Delapointe and Pierre Ander Senizergues |
Upcycle! More than 100 upcycling
ideas for furniture, lighting, products and accessories!
Published by Gingko Press
“Upcycle!” confirms that the term “recycling” is passé by asking, “Why
just recycle when you can upcycle?” and defines upcycling as “converting an
object into something of greater value without degrading the material with
which it is made.” It also features designers from around the world, who
transform hundreds of discarded items as pedestrian as a tire, a metal pie pan,
a radiator, or a damaged upright piano, into stylish and functional ottomans,
stools, lounges or chairs.
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| UpCycle Cabbage Chair by Oki Sato |
One of my favorites is the “T-Shirt Chair” by Maria Westerberg, which
gives new life to forty old t-shirts. One by one, the shirts are woven through
a single sheet of bent metal grid into a cushy, reclining chair.
Another original is the “Heater Chair” by Boris Dennier. His
rudimentary bending technique involves placing a cast iron radiator on two blocks
and jumping on it. He then welds on legs reclaimed from old pieces of furniture
and applies red enamel paint.
For those drawn to fiber arts, “Tis Knot Ottoman” is made from colorful
heavy-duty nylon crocheted around used tires, which are rescued from tire shops
or road-side ditches. Each style in the collection is named after a car popular
in Australia, where the designer Cindy-Lee Davies lives, such as “Datsun” and
“Gemini.” Another designer, Camilla Hounsell Halvorsen, makes a similar floor
pouffe from large rubber innertubes wrapped with strips of scrap upholstery
fabric.
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| Pallet Outdoor Loveseat by author Chris Gleason |
Wood Pallet Projects – Cool and
Easy-to-Make Projects for the Home and Garden
By Chris Gleason
Author Chris Gleason says that pallets have a unique “patina of
experience.” They are weathered, distressed and aged and “beautiful in a way
that shiny new things can never be.” He believes that incorporating “defects”
such as nail holes, stains and the rough board texture can be desirable and
appealing.
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| Pallet Chair by author Chris Gleason: All of the wood used in this chair came from a single pallet. |
“Wood Pallet Projects” takes salvaged wooden pallets and provides lots
of project ideas and instructions, including how to make a “simple meets
sophisticated” chair and a backyard loveseat. Pallets are ubiquitous once you
start looking for them—languishing in lots, resting behind buildings, and stacked
at yard sales. (You can also buy pallets for cheap at Walker Street Pallet in
Watsonville or for $2 at Last Chance Mercantile in Marina.)
Although a few of Gleason’s projects use pallets as-is, for most you’ll
need a basic set of tools such as hand or power saws, a miter box, and a power
sander, plus a hammer or crowbar, to deconstruct and reconstruct a pallet into
furniture.
Remake Recap
These three books might help us re-envision what kind of chairs we want
in or homes or yards and how their inclusion might transform our environments.
Any one of these chairs might become a conversation piece and an invitation to
reconsider responsible consumerism. Or they might inspire spring cleaning with
an upcycled mind-set, rather than committing more waste to the landfill. Or,
they might actually provide a comfortable place to sit, rest our feet, relax
and smile.
