9 Home Decor Items Made of Unexpected (Recycled!) Material

National Recycling Day was last week—in honor of this auspicious occasion, I’d like to make a public service announcement: your grandma was right—waste not, want not. We all stand to benefit when we make the most of what we already have. There are so many innovative individuals out there who take these words to heart, creative souls who look at trash and see treasure. These home décor items were rescued from the rubbish heap and could have a stylish place in your home.

Meals on wheels: a salvaged car becomes a dining table.

Kiel Arto Design (kielarto.com)

Drinking all those bottles of wine pays off! Recycled cork becomes a pendant light.

Wormhole pendant from Thislexik (thislexik.com)

It’s a sea change: hand-woven seaweed yarn becomes a chair.

Sea Me Collection from Nienke Hoogvliet (nienkehoogvliet.com)

Take a deep dive while dining: recycled sea glass becomes dinnerware.

SeaGlass dinnerware collection from VivaTerra (vivaterra.com)

Raise a glass: upcycled glass bottles become pendant lamps.

Photo: VictorMax©Photo
LaFlor lamp from Lucirmás (lucirmas.com)

Pull up a chair, help save the trees: reclaimed wood becomes bar stools.

Broom bar stools by Philippe Starck from Emeco (emeco.net) | Architect: Eric Hedlund

Relax while recycling: reprocessed plastics become lighting, seating, and a table…

Fresnel Light, Melting Pot table and Not Only Hollow Chair from Dirk Vander Kooij (dirkvanderkooij.nl)

…or brightly colored outdoor chairs.

Adirondack-style chairs from Polywood (polywoodoutdoor.com)

A new leaf: fallen foliage becomes a chair.

Beleaf chair by Simon Kern (facebook.com/SimonKernStudio)