Upcycled home office furniture

A how-to guide money saving tips

In a society where everything material is increasingly regarded as being disposable is not a healthy way of being kind to the environment. Although many people do now recycle - thanks to the number of local authorities providing recycling for items such as bottles, paper, cardboard, metal and many other items - it does seem that people will often dispose of things rather than considering another possible use for them.

Image credit: ajt / 123RF Stock Photo

Upcycling is creeping quietly into the consciousness of those who think they could do something better with their old furniture or possessions, and when it comes to revamping a home office it could be just the solution. Not only does it save on the amount of garbage being thrown away but it could also save a considerable amount of money on buying things such as new furniture. It’s also a lot more eco-friendly than disposing of everything and seeing half of it go to landfill.

Upcycling sofas and tables

Just because the office table has a wobbly leg, doesn’t mean it’s ready for the scrapheap. Rather than spend money on a new one, it’s worth taking a little time to troubleshoot the problem and then fix it with a little simple DIY. It could be just a screw or hinge that’s loose, or some wood glue that is needed. Once repaired it’s time to give it a new lease of life by rubbing it over and giving it a coat or two of varnish. Alternatively, it’s easy to give it a coat of paint, perhaps of an unusual colour that makes a fun statement about the individual whose office it is.

Sofas do sometimes come to the end of their useful life; however, they are long-lasting creatures and sometimes it’s possible to re-upholster or put on new covers to give an old couch a lift. It is possible to source cheap and breezy fabrics online and if a professional is needed to make up the covers or to do the upholstering then the chances are it will be a fair bit cheaper than buying a new sofa. It will have saved some landfill space again, and some really lovely furniture can be created.

Bits and bobs

Some home office furniture can be rather dull in terms of the way it looks, and it’s enjoyable to think of creative and quirky uses for objects or to transform banal ones with a touch of ingenuity.

Instead of one of those metal containers to hold pens, pencils and other items, create something truly different by finding some old floppy discs that have long outlived their usefulness and create a box by gluing them together, or see if the middle of some warped and scratched vinyl records can be fashioned into coasters for that welcome and much needed post work drink.

To be immensely successful at upcycling it is necessary to think outside the box and to be inventive. It is surprising how much money can be saved and pleasure gained by taking on your own upcycling project.

 Author: Victoria Jones