What would be more eco-fabulous than making your own furniture from items you would typically throw away or recycle? Making your own furniture is better than buying eco-friendly furniture because you’re preventing trash from entering the environment and giving it a new purpose that replaces expensive and possibly toxic manufacturing techniques used in conventional furniture. You don’t have to be a crafty person to turn everyday trash into innovative and trendy furniture for your home, loft or apartment.

Newspaper furniture

Instead of throwing away or recycling your old newspapers, you can use them to make an ottoman, a stool or an end table that is both attractive and sturdy. The trick is to roll the entire newspaper as tight as possible to create very hard and sturdy, stick-like pieces. Once you have 20 to 30 newspapers rolled tightly, position them together to make a round element. Strap the newspaper sticks together to form a small or large circular base. The base can then be made into almost any type of furniture. To make an ottoman, attach a pillow or seat cushion to the top of the base. To make a chair, fix a back. To create a coffee table, add a small glass or wood top. You can even make a dining room table using four bases as the legs and then placing a large piece of wood on top. Be sure to securely fasten the legs on the wood and make the newspaper bases very large to cover a lot of room.

Milk crate bookshelf

Milk crates are bulky and very sturdy. When thrown away, they can take up a lot of space in a landfill and would take a very long time to decompose because of the material they’re made from. You can create a very stylish bookcase using old milk crates. First, gather as many as you need to make the bookcase as large or small as you want. Next, spray paint them the color or colors you desire. Spraying them will give them an as-new look with a clean and simple finish. Stack them on top of one another and attach them to the wall so they don’t fall. You can also make a wall shelf by fastening four to five of them in a straight line. Use brackets underneath each one for added support. You can use the top of the milk crate shelf for added storage or decorations. Reuse, remake, recycle The most obvious way to make eco-friendly furniture is to reuse old furniture that is either going to be thrown away or left unused. Couches, loveseats and recliners can all be easily reupholstered or covered with a slipcover. Find old wood chairs, tables and picture frames and refinish them. Most wood furniture can easily be refinished by sanding off the old finish, staining it the color you want and placing a shiny finish on it. Old mirror frames can look like new by hand painting them or with spray painting them. To find old furniture, simply drive around neighborhoods the night before trash pick-up and you will be surprised what you find. Some of the furniture that would have landed up in a landfill may end up in your living room. The most eco-friendly furniture is furniture you can make or remake yourself. It saves on excessive carbon emissions, saves space in landfills and it will save you money. Besides, furniture you make or reuse will give your home a unique personality unlike anyone else. Making eco-friendly furniture is easy, affordable and the best option for the environment.