Posts tagged "furniture"

How can I reuse or recycle washing machine drums?

Washing machine drum turned into an ottomanWe’ve had an email from Nathalie, telling us about the fab ottoman she made from an old washing machine drum (links includes full instructions). She also links to another site where one has been turned into a floor lamp – very cool.

Involving less crafts, I’ve also seen them used as planters in allotments (since the holes let excess water drain away) and an outside toy bin in a garden – so they’re obviously versatile little chaps but has anyone else got any other suggestions?

(Image courtesy of Nathalie and Esprit Cabane)

(Oh, and we got a mention on Zaproot yesterday – a cool eco-show. If you’re already here, you already know about us of course but still, it’s nice to be mentioned.)

How can I reuse or recycle broken chairs?

Dining chairWe’ve had an email from Dom, saying:

I just rescued a set of dining room chairs from a skip. With a bit of a sand and coat of paint, two of them will be fine for use in my kitchen but the other two are broken. The supports under the seat have broken on one and the frame of the back on the other. Any suggestions?

Like with broken electronics and the like, I’d suggest giving fixing them a go because, at the end of the day, you’re not unlikely to break them any further and if you do, you won’t really have lost much (start with a broken chair, end with a broken chair) but might have learnt something along the way which will help you next time. (Or, if you know someone who likes fixing stuff, see if they’ll do it since they might be able to get them as good as new.)

We have a rickety old chair in the bathroom for throwing our clothes on – broken ones might be sufficient for that type of job – and we have a bizarre, stylised metal-frame one (which we inherited when we bought the house) in the garden and put plants on the seat: they’ve got room to trail and to climb and are out of the evil clutches of slugs too.

Any other suggestions?

(Photo by _H_)

How can I reuse or recycle LOTS of old furniture?

student_room.jpgI’ve had another email from Sally Harrop:

We have a large amount of student furniture (beds, desks, lamps, chairs etc) to dispose of – 250 rooms worth. Can anyone suggest anywhere this may be usable?

Sally is based in Bradford and since I’m down the road in Leeds, I’ve already suggested a few local furniture charities to her: CHASBradford, Emmaus Leeds, and Poverty Aid. I know there are other smaller ones too but these seem to be three of the biggest furniture charities in the West Yorkshire area, so are probably more likely to be able to handle this large amount of furniture.

University accommodation departments and hotels around the country, indeed around the world, must find themselves in this position quite a lot. The obvious answer is for them to keep using the furniture until the end of its life but that’s not always realistic in these situations for one reason or another. So feel free to suggest any links to furniture reusing/recycling charities – especially ones that can handle large amounts of stock in one go – and say what geographical area they cover, in case anyone else in Sally’s position needs some inspiration.

(Photo by moria)