How to Re-purposed Furniture

This is the first of what I hope to be many installments in a series I'm entitling 'Think & Act.'

This series will be dedicated to commentary on innovative ways to save money, improve society and protect the environment.

What can we as a population, or as individuals do to strive to minimize waste and re-use materials.

In essence, most furniture is unfortunately viewed as only having one lifetime. Apart from country homes with rusted metal decor and re-use of old doors, I see very little creativity in the use of old furniture. I use the term re-purposing for taking old furniture and recycling its use into something new. Why do we let old tables, couches and chairs just sit outside and rot when a little paint and a few nails can bring them into new life?

Granted, many of these disposals are useless because of breaks and or scents that just don't ever seem to go away, but is it fair that furniture placed outside on the sidewalk just because someone can't move it to their new home is just left there?

I recently took an old window which only had three remaining panes out of six. I staggered the remaining panes after sanding the wood frame down and painting it. This left me with a very unique window-table top I was able to use for my living room. I built a frame with legs on it with scrap wood that was merely collecting dust in my shed. A few nails later, I had a coffee table I still haven't stopped receiving compliments for.

Feeling a great sense of pride in what I had accomplished I tried something else. One of my next projects involved taking a canvas and inserting some used, left-over porch post cut-offs to implement into the design. What turned up as a result surprised even me. I attached the pieces to the cut canvas itself. They were inserted into the middle of the frame and the painting occupied the rest of the design. It really served as a nice balance between modern and classic art.

What's next? Well- someone just threw away a couch at my apartment. The material was stained and ripped and some of the cushions were missing, so unfortunately I could not resurrect the actual couch itself, however I was able to keep the frame, which I am stripping, sanding and staining. I will turn the couch frame upside-down and create a new bench which will be upholstered and sit on top. It will be a blend of an outdoor porch bench and a large ottoman to sit against a wall as a seating area. I'm excited about the process and the look of the final bench, and it will no doubt stir some conversation.

So why do we pass opportunities to make or re-purpose fabrics and furniture into new decor? The American dream is to have a fully furnished house to serve your family, and yet we often times think something such as this will be too difficult. I don't even own any power tools, and while I plan to purchase some soon, I still do not require them in order to create these pieces of furniture.

There are several benefits to this type of re-use. Obviously, the cost of such is low and the value comes through the work and the time it takes to do it. It also lessens the need for new materials to be used to create such goods. If you have visited a distribution center or even the rear of a department store, you realize the quantity that is needed in order to supply furnishings for a home. My top reason, however, is the fun that I have while creating such pieces. There is nothing more satisfying that conceptualizing something and seeing it come to full fruition. That is the reason that drives me toward such a hobby, I feel like even though small, I am making a little bit of a difference and hopefully using it to inspire others to do the same.

Do not doubt your creativity, be bold. You'll surprise yourself.