Having a house decorated with taste, fresh and elegant is not at odds with behaving in a sustainable way. What’s more, with a little imagination we can take advantage of a large part of the materials that we are going to discard and turn them into wonderful furniture and accessories for our home.
Across the globe, more and more people are realizing the possibilities offered by simple materials such as boxes. Those boxes that always end up in the container, can now be converted into that piece of furniture that we have been wanting to buy for so long. Of course, with a fresh and personalized touch and with a budget of zero euros!
We provide you with several ideas for the home from simple wooden or plastic boxes and even cardboard. Take note and decorate your home with recycled boxes !
- Just boxes
- The place for towels or toilet paper in the bathroom
- All toys in one box
- All-in-one seating and storage
- Ingenious shelves for the children’s room
- For our pet to rest
- A floating shoe rack
- Modern shelving
- Nightstands
- Step shelving
- A nice desk
- A table for the living room at a bargain price
- Original organizers
- Outdoor planters
Index
Just boxes
The lack of storage at home to store all those clothes, books, records, etc. that we no longer know where to put is common. With a little hand of paint and very little time, we can turn them into beautiful boxes that will decorate our home and give us the solution to have a much more orderly house.
With normal paint of the color you like (if the box is made of wood) or a special spray for plastics, we will restore that box that we have rescued. The procedure is the next:
- We wash the box well, especially if it is going to be indoors. We will do it with a scouring pad, neutral soap and hot water. If the box is very large we can do it in the bathtub to facilitate the process. We let dry, if possible, in the sun.
- We spread newspaper to avoid staining the floor of the house.
- Paint can be applied with a brush to achieve a layer of color. If you want a more original texture, pour some paint into a bucket, dip newspaper in it, and run the newspaper all over the box for a different effect. You can also do this with other objects, like old sweeping brushes or sponges. Chalkboard paint or metallic paint can be a very interesting option.
- We can also paint polka dots or stripes on the box. For the latter, get a template that you can take off later and give it two layers. If we are crafty, even a figure or a name can be engraved on the box.
- To make it last longer and have a shiny effect, we can give it a coat of varnish, once the paint has dried.
- We will complete our boxes by adding fabrics or sheets of paper to the inside, bows, etc. and start using them to store everything we need.
The place for towels or toilet paper in the bathroom
These boxes (for example, those of fruit or beer) we buy when we buy food in large quantities (in a large family, there will be them often). If you need more than you buy, do not hesitate to visit a nearby supermarket or greengrocer. You will be doing them a favor because they won’t have to get rid of so many and you will be giving them a second life while you beautify your home.
These recovered boxes will give us a great use in the bathrooms. We can, for example, fix them to the wall and store towels (rolled or folded) or rolls of toilet paper . It is also a good method to store our creams or toothbrushes. If you are crafty, we can even give them a nice mirror.
All toys in one box
A large box that stores most dolls and toys is a very useful idea that can solve the problem of toys always scattered around the room once and for all. We just have to clean and decorate it very well (even cover it with foam rubber and fabrics, especially if the children are very young) and we will have a perfect and very useful toy box.
To prevent the floor from scratching, put some wheels or protective felt on the bottom.
All-in-one seating and storage
One of our favorites. It is simply a matter of integrating a cushion with support over the opening of the box, so that it becomes a comfortable individual seat. The best thing is that it will also serve you to store many of your objects.
Ingenious shelves for the children’s room
By painting the inside (and if you want the outside) of the boxes in vivid and imaginative colors, we are obtaining a set of shelves that will be beautiful in the children’s bedrooms, but also in any other part of the house. Arrange them in various ways and take the opportunity to store figurines, books or even pencils and school supplies . We will be decorating a wall while increasing the storage options.
For our pet to rest
With some old cushions and blankets, we can create a perfect place for our pet to sleep or sit to rest and play. It will be very original in rooms and living rooms and you will get an exclusive area for your dog or cat where they can find their privacy and be much more comfortable.
A floating shoe rack
Recovering the idea of the boxes whose lower part is fixed to the wall, we can create a beautiful -and very useful- shoe rack that contains all our shoes, boots and even accessories.
Modern shelving
You will have nothing more to do than choose boxes of different sizes and stack them one on top of the other. Once painted and personalized you will have created one of the most original and beautiful corners of your house. You can put decorations inside it or create your own reading corner.
Nightstands
Perhaps it had not occurred to you that these boxes can double as a nightstand. Nothing simpler. We just need to restore them and choose the side that is in the best shape to support our bedside lamps, books and alarm clocks .
Step shelving
Something more elaborate than modern shelving, but still very easy. We will need about six or eight suitably painted boxes, which we will alternate as we like best and adapt them to the area of our living room.
It involves gluing the boxes together until a firm structure is obtained. In addition, this shelf can serve as a delimiting space for environments .
A nice desk
Would you like to buy yourself a desk? It will no longer seem necessary after reading this idea. It involves stacking (and gluing) six boxes, in two blocks of three boxes and integrating a wooden board . We will have a personalized and perfect desktop!
A table for the living room at a bargain price
Four boxes is all we will need for this table that seems complicated to manufacture, but is not at all. Lay the four boxes on their sides and join the bottom of each one with the top of the next. The important thing is that they are very well glued, so we recommend wooden tables because wood is a material that sticks easily, although a good adhesive cannot be lacking either. The gap in the center can be filled with various materials, such as wine bottle corks. The result will be a very original piece of furniture.
Original organizers
We have ever had serious storage problems for certain things, such as clothes, books or even class notes. With these boxes, we will only need a hole in the house to store everything in order , so that we can find what we are looking for in seconds. Stack one box on top of another after you’ve written (with stencils or by hand) the contents of the box with paints. Remember to place those that contain the heaviest objects at the bottom.
Outdoor planters
And if you are thinking of starting your own home garden or simply want to decorate your balcony or garden, these types of boxes will be very useful for this purpose. In a small space, you can plant seasonal vegetables or make your exteriors a very colorful place using the wooden boxes as a planter .
If you want to read more articles similar to Decorate your home with recycled boxes , we recommend that you enter our category of Crafts with recycled material .
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