If artist Boris Bally’s furniture collection had a catchy name it would probably be, “Caution: Really Cool Furniture Made from Recycled Street Signs Ahead.” Now, this isn’t your typical sustainable furniture with muted, calm colors. Bally’s designs take sustainable design to a whole new level, scruff it up a bit and give it some street cred. Using salvaged street signs and loud colors, Bally’s collection of hand-fabricated pieces get you to stop! and think about sustainability having no limits.

Transit Chairs by Boris Bally. Photo Courtesy Boris Bally.

Not just for the frat house-aesthetic, these Transit Chairs designed by Boris Bally make a major statement and can be a conversation piece for your interior space. They’re made from recycled traffic signs, champagne corks and steel hardware.

Pedestal Drums by Boris Bally. Photo Courtesy Boris Bally.

Pedestal drums have never been funkier than these, which were commissioned by Neiman Marcus in 2002 to be used as table bases in store displays. Each drum was hand-fabricated from recycled street signs and copper trivets, then given glass tops.

NYC Transit Table by Boris Bally. Photo Courtesy Boris Bally.

Aluminum is 100 percent recyclable and so too are subway signs. This graphic NYC Transit Table was designed using officially licensed MTA subway signs from New York City, champagne corks and hardware.

Bally’s pieces may be comprised of recycled materials, but taking bits and pieces of urban decay and making them sustainable is definitely a fresh idea.

Editor's Note: Natural Home does not recommend, approve or endorse the products/services offered by companies guest bloggers review online. You should use your own judgment and evaluate products and services carefully before deciding to purchase.

Design inspiration could come from almost anything. Just take a look at these amazing decor pieces crafted from one of the most discarded materials you could find—plastic bottles. So the next time you get ready to take your rubbish to the recycling bin, think twice. You could upcycle your trash into something eco-fabulous for practically no cost.

At first glance you would never guess this artful chandelier is composed of plastic bottles. Sisters Reta Howell and Vana Howell of THIS Gallery turn locally salvaged plastic bottles from schoolyards, parks and other public places into CFL-lit handmade lamps. The lamps are hardened by a fusion process that gives them a glass-like ethereal glow.

This lamp by designers Reta Howell and Vana Howell at THIS Gallery was created from more than 30 discarded plastic bottles. Photo Courtesy THISGallery/Etsy.com.

Sometimes you see someone else’s clever handiwork and wonder how the idea escaped you. That’s exactly what I thought when I came across Denise Carbonell’s mod mobile that she made by slicing plastic bottles into organic shapes, punching holes into them and stringing them up with fish wire. It’s easy, green and way too funky not to try yourself.

This mobile is made from sliced plastic bottles. Photo By Denise Carbonell/Courtesy Flickr.

Salvaged decor can be glamorous, too. Environmental designer Michelle Brand, who finds beautiful solutions to dealing with everyday trash, designed exquisite lighting fixtures and installations from decorative “fabric” she weaves from plastic bottles.

Environmental designer Michelle Brand finds beautiful solutions to everyday trash. Photo Courtesy Michelle Brand Environmental Design.

Recycling plastics requires energy and raw materials, but reusing them as fashionable home decor only requires raw talent.

Editor's Note: Natural Home does not recommend, approve or endorse the products/services offered by companies guest bloggers review online. You should use your own judgment and evaluate products and services carefully before deciding to purchase. 

Sure, glass is 100 percent recyclable, but refashioning used beverage and other types of bottles into vases instead is so much more fun. Whether they’re collecting dust in the attic or you stumble upon some great finds at a thrift store, seeing old glass bottles in a more resourceful way can certainly add some much-needed whimsy to your décor, and it just so happens to be environmentally friendly, too.

Photo Courtesy PostRoadVintage/Etsy.com

Using vintage soda bottles from a bygone era is my favorite makeshift vase idea. These Coca-Cola and Mattson’s soda bottles for sale on Etsy by PostRoadVintage have just the right charm to match the cheeriness of freshly picked garden blossoms.


Photo By AndWat/Courtesy Flickr.

Old-fashioned milk bottles are rather neglected these days. Repurpose them! Milk bottles can hold a bundle of blooms when a formal vase just won’t do. A collection of several milk bottles in varying sizes holding bunches of flowers would do the trick nicely.

Photo By Merodeador/Courtesy sxc.hu.

When you’ve finished the last drop of your best-loved wine (especially one with a great-looking label), save the bottle for when a single stem flower needs a new home. When you have a collection of wine bottles, arrange them in a row and alternate each flower’s color to create rhythm.

Photo Courtesy PostRoadVintage/Etsy.com

If you have any vintage apothecary-style bottles hanging around, those can also function as perfectly cute vases. Something like this antique 1920s-ish bottle of “bluing” laundry liquid could prop up any individual bud with style.

Editor's Note: Natural Home does not recommend, approve or endorse the products/services offered by companies guest bloggers review online. You should use your own judgment and evaluate products and services carefully before deciding to purchase. 

When I go to dinner get-togethers with friends, I sometimes bring a bottle of wine, and I like to use some kind of gift wrap to dress it up. But I don’t want to waste resources on something that will just be thrown away. To save money, I’ve tried reusing old gift bags, but they start to show their wear quickly with odd creases and small rips. In the March/April 2009 article Find Your Repurpose, writer Misty McNally offered an idea to give a bottle of wine in a creative, unique and fun way—without sacrificing style. Creating a “wine sleeve” from an old, repurposed long-sleeve button-down shirt takes no time at all. Plus, it can be reused multiple times before showing any wear and tear. How's that for recessionista style?

Find out how to make this cup cozy and  other great DIY projects . 

Another clothing reuse tip Misty mentioned that I love (especially for kids) is to host a “clothing swap party.” This is the ultimate recessionista way to save money by reusing old items! This is such a fun thing to do with friends...kids or adults! Invite all your friends to bring all the clothes they’re bored of, or that the kids have outgrown, lay them out and swap! Add some snacks for a fun and productive girls’ night (sorry guys—you can have a clothes-swap party too!).

What creative reuse ideas do you have?

America—the throwaway society—is changing its tune. 

Every year in American 2 million tons of tech trash and 100 million cell phones wind up in landfills; 7 million tons of clothing and footwear are discarded and 254 million tons of trash are thrown away. But the current recession, which has affected everything from housing to retail sales, is also taking its toll on landfills. As Americans make do with what they already have, less stuff is going into landfills. Since late 2007, trash volume has decreased by 20 and even 30 percent in some places. Some landfills have had to lay off workers. 

Landfills have seen a 20 to 30 percent decrease in trash since the start of the recession. As people reuse and repair their old things, less trash is being sent to landfills. Photo By D’Arcy Norman/Courtesy Flickr  

It’s all part of a cycle. Tighter budgets mean fewer new purchases, which in turn leads to less packing material and other waste. People are reusing and repairing their old things instead of sending them to landfills. Repair businesses and thrift stores have seen consistent or rising sales, although Goodwill donations are down. 

People are taking on the mantra of reduce, reuse, recycle and repair. Instead of buying new clothes, they’re shopping at Goodwill or revamping the ones they have. Instead of buying new electronics, they’re buying new batteries. And instead of buying a new computer, they’re replacing the broken parts. 

It’s an environmentalist’s dream.

Difficult economic times mean recycling centers across the nation are seeing demand for recycled items such as paper, cardboard and glass diminish. According to CNN, recyclers in Georgia are now getting $37 a ton for recyclables, down from roughly $160 a ton a year ago. Recycling programs across America are facing similar problems. 

In Atlanta, this has meant that curbside recycling collection has been spotty, and many residents are worried that providers won’t pick up their recycling bins. Some are stockpiling items in garages and driving them to drop-off centers. 

If you’re having difficulties with your recycling company, try these tips: 

• Contact your provider and ask for a comprehensive list of pickup dates. 

• If you live close to a drop-off center, dispose of your recyclables there. 

Before you throw away recycling items, give them a second life with these creative ideas:

• Repurpose old items into new treasures.

• Salvage materials for home renovations.

• Get crafty with so-called “junk.”

• Get to know your recycling symbols. 

The earth—and your local landfill—will thank you.

I live in a fairly small townhouse, and storage space can be a problem. (Actually, storage space seems to be a problem for everyone I know, wherever they live. We humans just collect a lot of stuff.) The current issue of Natural Home gave me some great ideas for keeping my stuff organized while reusing items that might otherwise end up in the trash. 

Perhaps what plagues me most are the magazines that pile up—in my office, my bedroom and even in the bathroom! So I started my spring cleaning and organizing by making these great magazine holders out of old cereal boxes.

A covered cereal box can be turned into a magazine holder. Photo By Povy Kendal Atchison.

I’m not the craftiest person on the planet, but this project was super easy—just the way I like it. All I had to do was cut away part of a vertical side, and the boxes stay strong enough to hold several magazines. My daughter helped me make them pretty, decorating them with old magazine and newspaper cut-outs and her own unique artistry. 

And now for the hard part—time to clear space on the bookshelves to make room for my magazine holders. Anyone have any great reuse ideas for old books?