Recycle, eh

Here’s another way to recycle old belts from Kiki over at Kiki The Spunky Munky – an old aluminum lawn chair frame revitalized with belts. You could pick up inexpensive belts from junk or thrift stores or ask family and friends if they have any they no longer use. If your belts don't have enought holes, make them with hole punches.

It would make a fun Father’s Day gift!

You don't have to toss out your old chairs or spend a lot of money to recover them. Take a look at how easy it is to rescue and reuse your old seating.

Chairs as Wall Shelves

I spotted this neat way to reuse old chairs in the March 2010 edition of Country Living U.K. magazine. This would work really well with children's chairs that your kiddies have outgrown. Just shows you how there's no limit to re-imagining how to use old stuff. In my own way I have recycled chairs to reuse--well, as chairs--but freshened up a bit.

Recover a Drop-in Seat 

This old armchair had a tacky, cracked black leather seat cover. I gave it a new look by recycling an old brown tweed jacket into a seat cover. It's fairly easy to recover chairs that have removable drop-in seats. 

Chair Cover Using Tea Towelling

On the other hand, to quickly freshen up an old upholstered chair, I made a removable (and washable) tie-on cover using tea towelling as the cover material. You an buy tea towelling by the yard (or metre) at fabric stores. Just slip stitch hems at both ends and add ties to the side. 

When it comes to recycling mundane, everyday household waste, it's a good idea to take a look at how designers view these materials--not as waste, but as potential resources for their work. Take a look at what Mario Stadelmann does with old newspapers. Like David Stovell, he creates innovative furniture by creating very sophisticated seating by recycling newspapers. The chairs he designs and makes would fit into any office environment or many homes. I want one.