Eco Home Furniture Design Ideas

It happens. You buy it, build it, then years later you move and disassemble it. Now where did you put that piece of paper with the building directions and diagrams? Probably in the recycling bin…a long time ago. Well, I’ve done it and with the help of a site that supplies you with all the instructions and Ikea building manuals for all the Ikea products there are, I’ve been able to re-build that old Ikea bookshelf over and over again. Find all those Ikea Furniture Instructions at the click of a button. Phew!

Genuine eco-friendly bamboo slats make up this bath step-out mat, and the non-slip backing helps keep it in place in front of your bathtub or shower stall. It’s water-resistant, and the poly stitched border gives it a refined look. The bamboo bath mat will bring a decidedly tropical feel to your bathroom, plus its made of sustainable bamboo - which we love!

Claire Danthois has come up with a brilliant way to recycle old doors. The Once a Door chaise longue is just one in a series of transformed furniture made from old ladders, bed and gates. The wood for this specific chair has been cut into ninety separate pieces, drilled with 360 holes and threaded together with cable. The spine-like vertebrae of the wood fits perfectly to your back, so it’s comfortable as well as cool!

This ultra cool and super eco-friendly hammock is made from recycled, reject seatbelts. The seatbelts are “rejects” because they are either slightly off-color or fail their break test. It can hold two people easily and comes in three colours - including bizarre green and safety orange! What a great idea for an unusual material!

A lot of furniture manufacturers and sellers talk about furniture being made of wood veneer. But what exactly is wood veneer? Good question. Wood veneer in furniture means that parts of or all of the furniture is not actually made of solid wood. The term veneer refers to the process of using 1/8 inch thin layers of wood glued together on particle board or medium to high density fiberboard. These veneer boards get that grain look by slicing layers through the growth rings of trees. Using wood veneer helps make the furniture lightweight and more affordable, but still look just like solid wood pieces.

Handmade in Northern Thailand, the “S” Accent Chair is made of one of the best renewable materials (and one of my personal favorites - bamboo. Strips of this beautifully finished sustainable wood come together in a gorgeously simple fluid form to create the unique S chair. With its dark finish and sculptural contours, this chair will look great in any room. I always love bamboo pieces, but its the deep rich finish on this chair that really pulls it together for me. Beautiful.

Any hockey fan would go crazy for Dorothy Spencer’s sturdy and exceedingly cool storage box. The square box is handmade with vintage hockey sticks and opens with a unique and clever handle that varies from a recycled shower faucet to an old door knob - each storage chest is different! Handmade in Virginia, this would make a great eco-friendly gift for the sports fan in your life. We love innovative idea for reclaimed materials!

These reclaimed Patchwood chests would add charm to any room. Handmade from reclaimed barn wood, molding from houses and beaded board, this quaint piece of furniture features innovative patterns and textures handmade by Georgia artist Margaret Taylor. Taylor combines rustic material with modern design in each of these one-of-a-kind cubes. The strong, well made chest would be an ideal storage piece in the dining room, bedroom, bathroom or kitchen.

Tetrice, a.k.a. IceBlox is a design concept by Czech designer Martin Ampach. The silcon tray gets filled with water and returns the icy versions of those oh-so-familiar Tetris shapes we’ve all grown to love over the years. I can just see busting out the Tetris ice cubes at a party and having my counters turn into a watery mess. I’ve seen similar products at Ikea but never this cool.

Leftover foam rubber from the mass production of flip flop sandals is used to make these wonderful colorful and durable doormats. The Flip Flop Mats are each made by hand using galvanized metal wire. Of course, the nature of recycling dictates that the patterns and colors are going to be different on each mat. The recycled doormats can be used for doormats, bathmats, children’s play mats, or area rugs. Another amazing eco-friendly design idea! Also check out these Flip Flop Storage Bins!