10 of the Most Amazing Repurposed Items You'll Ever See - GOODNET | Gateway to doing good

Red tufted sofa designed in the shape of a vintage British telephone booth with 'TELEPHONE' text on the side.

Image by artist <a href="http://www.benjaminshine.com/projects_to_use/btboxlounger.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Benjamin Shine</a>

10 of the Most Amazing Repurposed Items You’ll Ever See

5 Jun 2014 | By Shoshana Friedman

Imagination and recycling merge creating spectacular objects

Using existing materials, some unconventional, to create a new object is the essence of repurposing.

MORE: 5 Repurposed Plastic Bottle DIY Transformations

With a focus on minimizing waste and using what’s at your disposal, prepare yourself to be impressed by these ten items that have been reincarnated into something creatively useful and incredible.

1. TRASH TURNED INTO HOMES

Artist Gregory Kloehn combs garbage dumps to create mobile and habitable homes for the homeless.

Row of small cardboard box houses with colorful roofs in red and blue checkered patterns, featuring red and yellow doors, with a washing machine visible on one unit.

Image from Designboom

2. TV SETS TURNED INTO FISH AQUARIUMS

If you are upgrading to a flat screen TV, be sure to not neglect your old television set, it still has more life in it. Here is a step-by-step guide to converting an old TV into an aquatic paradise for fish and sea creatures.

Vintage wood-paneled Sanyo television console converted into an aquarium, displaying colorful fish, plants, and coral inside the screen, mounted on a black stand.

Image from MustLook

3. LEATHER BELTS TURNED INTO FLOORING

Design company TING creates luxury products with an eye towards sustainability as can be seen by this cool twist on flooring.

Close-up of wet hardwood flooring with visible wood grain patterns and reflections, with furniture visible at the top of the frame.

Image from TING

4. CARS TURNED INTO BEDS

At the V8 Hotel in Germany, car enthusiasts can bask in the motor themed hotel, sleeping in former cars and other funky details used from original auto parts.

Bedroom with a bed shaped like a vintage white Mercedes-Benz car, featuring red and white striped fabric canopy above, wooden flooring, and a window with red frame.

Image from V8 Hotel

5. TRASH DUMPSTERS TURNED INTO SWIMMING POOLS

New York real estate developer Macro Sea is on a mission to create unexpected value in underutilized urban spaces. Their 2009 project transformed a junkyard in Brooklyn into a country club of sorts with the main attraction being the swimming pools made from dumpsters.

Overhead view of children and adults at a swimming pool, with a child floating on an orange ring in clear blue water and others sitting on the wooden deck.

Image from Macro Sea

6. CLIMBING ROPES TURNED INTO LIGHTING FIXTURES

Produced in Berlin by design company Son of Nils, this funky lamp can bend and adjust to any situation thanks to the flexible and recycled climbing ropes that constitute its core.

Handmade chandelier made from colorful braided rope in red, green, and cream with small fabric lampshades attached to the ends, hanging against a white brick wall.

Image from Son of Nils

7. BICYCLES TURNED INTO BATHROOM COUNTERS

Artist Benjamin Bullins took a discarded two wheeled wonder and transformed it into a functional piece of bathroom furniture. Bicycles and their parts can be made into a myriad of different things, take a look at this list and get inspired.

Bathroom sink made from a repurposed bicycle frame with a wooden shelf holding a white rectangular basin, potted orchid plant, and checkered floor.

Image from Benjamin Bullins

8. SKATEBOARDS TURNED INTO SUNGLASSES

EQO creates gorgeous handmade eyewear from recycled skateboards, with each pair handcrafted and cool as can be.

Collage showing four different styles of wooden-framed sustainable sunglasses labeled Salix and Acer surrounding a center photo of a skateboarder performing a trick indoors.

Image from EQO

9. WINE BARRELS TURNED INTO DRUMS

No grapes in here! Former wine barrels get a musical makeover with this rocking drum set.

Drum kit made from black recycled plastic barrels and oil drums with metal bands, displayed in a white gallery space with wooden flooring.

Image from Inhabitat

10. SUITCASES TURNED INTO CHAIRS

If those old suitcases aren’t going to be trekking around the world with you, keep them landed with a creative suitcase chair that you can DIY.

Chair made from a vintage blue suitcase with cream tufted cushioning and white painted wooden legs.

Image from Recreate