Shelving and storage, oh my! Did you know you can take old scrap pieces and recycle them into beautiful shelves and storage units?
One-stop organizational havens such as IKEA and The Container Store have some sort of magical power over people, and at least on the surface, our fierce loyalty seems justified. The reason is pretty simple. No matter what, these palaces of possession perfection always seem to know precisely what the chronically storage-perplexed population can’t live without.
Glossy, quadruple-tiered shelves are a perennial favorite, as are texturally alluring and infinitely stackable cubbies, but those items, while tried and true, pale in comparison to such mind-blowing, can’t-possibly-live-without-‘em innovations like highly customized corrals for our assorted cupcake sprinkles or day-of-the-week pet collars.
There is no doubt that amid their incredibly well-lit and spacious aisles, we are repeatedly asking ourselves how we managed to get by so long without a miniature fruit leather-drying rack or alphabetized energy bar caddy. Unfortunately, but by the time we navigate the 10,000 square feet of storage space, our shopping carts typically runneth over while our credit cards take a beating.
You know where this is going. Make that brilliant shelving unit yourself and chances are excellent that you will spend significantly less than a brick-and-mortar store retail price. Up the ante by using scavenged materials, and before you know it, you will be able to duplicate that storage idea you ogled at IKEA for nothing more than the cost of your sweat equity.
Oh, except that the ideas below are way cooler than what you would find at a big-box shop, not only in regard to the design concept, but also the eco-execution. Instead of your shelf being made out of VOC-laden pressurized particleboard treated with 16 potentially carcinogenic fire-retarding chemicals, it will rock a reincarnated glow made even more notable by the fact that it will be as unique as your own individual fingerprint.
Make a wall-mounted shelf out of…
- Two layers of colored pencils glued together
- Wood scraps and 35-millimeter film, or just a plethora of plain old wooden bits and pieces
- A mesh ironing board
- Old coffee tables sliced lengthwise and then stacked; a single table also accommodates dйcor items effectively
- A glass window
- Magazine rack
- A child’s red wagon
- Vertical panels of wood
- A single dresser drawer suspended by a recycled leather belt
- Vintage chairs hung right side up or upside down
- Suitcases that are sliced in half lengthwise
- A mirror yoke
- A decorative fireplace grate
- A stack of old magazines with the majority of the interior carved out
- An old guitar (or an old guitar case — just decoupage the interior and then modify it with vertical metal rods in order to store more goodies inside)
- A repurposed infant bed
Make a freestanding shelf out of…
Reclaimed glass wine bottles and wooden boards
An old barn door or a conventional door cut in half and clamped at a 90-degree angle
Painted wooden boards separated with reclaimed tree branch ‘spacers’
A ladder — modify it with wooden boards and wire crates for extra storage potential
A bookshelf… made of books (You can create a wall-mounted version as well.)
Recycled plastic container “cubby holes” embedded in rigid polyurethane resin
An upcycled vintage produce box mounted on casters
An old dresser fitted with vintage suitcases
Several stacked computer monitors or televisions; a solo TV will also work wonders
By Elizah Leigh