We all have seen quirky one-off sculptures made from recycled materials but it is a decent bet that most designers don’t think about the possibilities of creating lines of recycled furniture. With so many materials going to waste in droves it seems a shame not to think big about how to give these a new life. While many of these are still mostly conceptual a lot of them have potential beyond being whimsical one-time creations.
Aluminum shavings sound like something that might be easy to recycle but they aren’t. In fact they are normally dumped into landfills though one designer has decided to turn them into quite classy-looking nicely-colored counter-tops. Now you could pay more for a granite counter-top or have something that both looks equally interesting/variegated and makes a great conversation piece.
Newspapers can be a very tricky thing to reuse without recycling but one student designer has figured out away to work around their weaknesses and play on their strengths. The strength and the natural ‘give’ of the newspapers provides a solid-but-soft underlying structure to this otherwise sturdy chair.
Whether these recycled spoon creations are tacky or clever is up to you to decide. They certainly are more variegated and playful than some of the other simpler designs shown here. Judging from her dress and decor however they are a perfect fit to the designer’s own style.
Old tires are probably some of the most prevalent not-easily-recyclables on the planet. The above solution is really quite simple and small-scale enough that not a lot of reworking of the tires is necessary to create these comfortable little chairs.
One has to wonder if these old whiskey barrel parts used to create various pieces of furniture have a lingering odor (pleasant or otherwise) from their days of aging alcoholic beverages. Regardless, though, they do have a rough-and-ready character from their slightly uneven shapes that gives a natural variety to the resulting designs that somehow makes them feel more comfortable, aged and homey.
It sure takes a lot of drinking straws to make a single piece of furniture but if the material is difficult to do anything else with then why not, really? It’s hard to imagine this wouldn’t crush under pressure but perhaps the sheer number is enough to make it stable while the void spaces make it comfortable.
In clockwise order shown above are various more great examples of recycled urban furniture: a light made from broken light tubes, a lamp made from an old iron, a chair from a shopping cart and a table from bent bike tires. If you have any additional ideas for ordinary trash you could turn into interesting recycled furniture you can add them in the comments below.
译文:
十个用可循环物品机灵设计的家具
我们都看过那些用可循环使用材料做成的一次性的很离奇的雕刻。但是这是一个很体面的赌，很多设计者没有考虑到制造一系列循环使用的家具的可能性。摆在我们面前有成群结队的材料即将被浪费，如果我们没有想到怎么样还这些东西一个新的生活我们将会感到耻辱。同时这些材料中很大的一部分被认为是有着比能够成为古怪的一次次性的创造物更大的潜力。
铝的刨花听起来像是一些可以很容易被重复使用的物质，然而不是这样的。事实上，它们通常会被扔进垃圾桶，虽然有一个设计者已经决定把它们变成漂亮的、颜色好看的工作台面。现在你可以花更多的钱买到一个花岗岩的工作台面或者是拥有一些看起来一样有趣的（多样化的）和有着伟大的风俗画的东西。
报纸是很灵活的东西，它可以重复使用而不需要进行再循环。但是一个学生设计者领会出了怎么样撇开它的缺点，并运用它的长处来使用它。报纸的好处和它得天独厚的优点使得它能够做成有着既结实又柔软的地层结构的独特的坚硬的椅子。
不管这些循环使用的勺子制造物是俗气的还是灵巧的，都由你决定。可以肯定的是，它们会比所以其他被陈列在此的简单的设计要多样化和戏剧化。通过她的穿着和装饰来评价她，虽然他们与设计者自己的风格是完美的搭配。
旧轮胎可能是这个星球里的其中一些最普遍的不易被重复使用的物质。以上的解决方法都很简单，同时也是很小规模的。并没有很多轮胎的重做对于做这些舒服的小椅子来说是必要的。
人们必须要考虑到，如果这些古老的威士忌酒桶的一部分被用来制造不同的家具，这些家具有着以前酒精饮料留下的逗留不去的气味（令人舒适的或不舒适的）。然而先不管这些，从他们不修边幅的外表看，他们确实有着潦草的特征，这给因而产生的制造一个自然的多样性，同时却给人带来舒适的，年代久远的，自在的感觉。
很肯定，制造一件很简单的家具会需要很多的吸水稻草。但是如果这种材料很难被用来做其他的东西，那是为什么不能呢？是真的吗？很难想象它不会因为压力而被压垮，但可能全部的数量在空隙空间使得它舒适的同时也足以使得它稳固。
按顺时针方向的展示的以上的东西是多方面的，是可循环使用的城市家具的伟大例子：一盏用坏的灯管做成的照明灯，一盏用旧熨斗做成的台灯，一把用购物车改造成的椅子和一张用弯曲的自行车轮胎做成的桌子。如果你对垃圾桶有什么别的建议，你可以把它改造成有趣的可循环使用家具或者是把它们加进以下的注释。