Clarence Murphy 
Upcycling, the practice of recycling old objects for new purposes, has become an increasingly popular art trend that helps preserve the environment while saving money in the long run.
An artist sees old wood as trash; however, but sees endless potential in it as decor or furniture pieces. These creative people turn this trash into works of art!
1. Make a Dresser
Enhance storage throughout your home with simple DIY repurposing projects. From transforming an old dresser into extra dining room hutch space to installing a crate dresser in your office, these hacks will save time and money while adding a stylish garden planter or wooden crates as planters that can label herbs, flowers and veggies, using wire baskets nearby as printer discards!
2. Make a Table
Recyclability has long been at the core of society’s thought processes and considered one of the three main elements of sustainability along with reduce and reuse.
But there are those who go beyond simply reducing the amount of items produced that end up in landfill. They upcycle these materials to create objects with aesthetic value that have new lives as pieces of artwork.
3. Make a Planter
Not sure what to do with all those empty cans from soups, baked beans and tomatoes? Repurpose them into planters instead! Mason jars work wonderfully for this project!
Old wooden crates make great DIY planters that cost much less than those found at garden centers. You can either paint the surface in an eye-catching chevron pattern, or leave them natural for a more organic aesthetic.
Shells make great DIY alternative planters and look beautiful displayed with seaside items. Here, they are used to house Tillandsias and other species that don’t require soil.
4. Make a Plant Hanger
Most items going to the recycling bin could actually be upcycled and given new life. Just take care when recycling electrical items!
Clothes and textiles production consumes an enormous amount of water, energy and pollutant chemicals; upcycling clothing reduces this waste significantly.
Upcycling also reduces demand for natural resources and raw materials, helping to limit pollution as well as strain on Earth’s water, soil and fuel supplies.
5. Make a Sofa
Elegant couches make an excellent addition to any living room and they don’t need to be expensive either! Check out this plan from diyplans that uses pallets as construction material and is suitable for both indoor/outdoor use.
Paint can be an easy and cost-effective way to transform a couch, as Jess from Domicile 37 did with her thrift store blue couch. Additionally, you could reupholster it in new fabric.
6. Make a Bed
Creativity knows no bounds when it comes to upcycling furniture and household items. From using broken mugs as pen holders to turning an empty truck bed into a real bed, there are endless ideas for upcycling everything from canning jars to fabric scraps.
Wood pallets make excellent DIY beds – check out this tutorial to see how.
7. Make a Desk
Upcycling is an excellent way to upcycle materials that would otherwise end up as waste and reduces the need for new materials and energy-intensive production processes, helping reduce consumption waste as well as environmental degradation.
Make more room in your home office by using egg cartons to organize pens, pencils and other small items. DIY Domestic Blonde has come up with this creative repurposed project which is so straightforward.
8. Make a Tabletop
Upcycling refers to the practice of taking used products and materials and turning them into something of greater quality or value, helping reduce waste going to landfills while conserving natural resources by decreasing pollution levels.
Upcycling has become such a widespread trend that there are now Etsy shops dedicated to it, thousands of Pinterest boards specializing in DIY upcycling crafts, and accounts on TikTok that repurpose materials into home decor items.
9. Make a Coffee Table
Upcycling almost anything can give an old item new purpose and reduce waste, adding value and saving resources in the process. From turning plastic bottles into shoes to using old fishing lines as bracelets for upcycling projects – upcycling is all about finding creative ways to reuse items once considered trash!
Upcycling can reduce energy use, preserve natural resources and limit pollution. Read upcycling guides here for more details and inspiration!
10. Make a Cabinet
Upcycling allows you to repurpose items that would have otherwise been discarded as waste and creates sustainable art that raises awareness as well as provides fun creative outlets.
Repurpose DIY projects to maximize storage in any room of the home. An old sewing cabinet becomes an improvised dining hutch while canvas pockets serve as easy-to-find storage hooks in this media cabinet hack.
