Eco-Friendly Furniture That Will Blow You Away
Tuesday, March 22nd, 2016
According to the latest U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) findings, Americans generate 4.38 pounds of non-recycled trash per person per day, including items such as packaging, food waste, grass clippings, sofas, computers, tires, and refrigerators. While this number is a 35% decrease from what it was in the 1980’s, we are continuously looking for new ways to minimize the amount of solid waste in our landfills.
One of the most interesting recycling movements I’ve noticed during my career as a designer is salvaging old, broken, or otherwise unusable items and creatively transforming them into beautiful pieces of furniture. Let’s take a look at a few of my favorites.
The Coolest Cabinet Bar You’ve Ever Seen
Bel & Bel is a studio workshop in Barcelona, Spain that was founded in 2005 by two creative and contemporary artists to “readjust of old objects into functional ones” and “project them into more innovative, more technological and customized personal pieces”.
Bel & Bel used the front and rear car remains of a SEAT 1500 to build the coolest cabinet bar you’ve ever seen. Formed by two distinct windscreens that hide two tanks to keep drinks cool, this bar fridge is designed for those who want to bring an aesthetic value to their homes. See more details.
Cheap Becomes Elegant with This Surprising Material
I bet you’ll never guess what material make up these two gorgeous end tables.
Cardboard!
French artist and designer Emilie Mazeau-Langlais uses cardboard to build end tables, sofas, bookcases, lamps, chairs, tables, and even toilets. By bending, cutting, and liquidizing the material, she manipulates it into the desired form and fashions it into the most stunning antique furniture pieces. See more details.
Patio Seating That Will Make You Think Twice
Colin Selig’s idea of this unique environmentally sustainable seating originated in 2010 with a junk propane tank on his property. “A lot of energy had been used to form the thick steel into this shape and it seemed a shame to let it go to waste,” he thought. A few months later, four seating arrangements were born.
Selig has design many different seating models from benches to love seats to mid-century chairs, perfect for a pool or patio that is craving some flair. Homeowners have also used his residential pieces as a focal point in their landscape design. See more details.
McCamy Construction is a certified green builder by the National Association of Home Builders. We strive to incorporate green and sustainable building principles into our homes without driving up the cost of construction. Learn more about what this certification means here.
An eco-friendly home may begin with construction, but it doesn’t end there. Learn how choosing an energy-efficient lightbulb can save you hundreds and benefit the environment too!
Tags: landscape design, National Association of Home Builders, sustainable building
