Re-Think Your Decor: Upcycled Plastic Bottle Decor

Design inspiration could come from almost anything. Just take a look at these amazing decor pieces crafted from one of the most discarded materials you could find–plastic bottles. So the next time you get ready to take your rubbish to the recycling bin, think twice. You could upcycle your trash into something eco-fabulous for practically no cost.

At first glance you would never guess this artful chandelier is composed of plastic bottles. Sisters Reta Howell and Vana Howell of THIS Gallery turn locally salvaged plastic bottles from schoolyards, parks and other public places into CFL-lit handmade lamps. The lamps are hardened by a fusion process that gives them a glass-like ethereal glow.

This lamp by designers Reta Howell and Vana Howell at THIS Gallery was created from more than 30 discarded plastic bottles. Photo Courtesy THISGallery/Etsy.com.

Sometimes you see someone else’s clever handiwork and wonder how the idea escaped you. That’s exactly what I thought when I came across Denise Carbonell’s mod mobile that she made by slicing plastic bottles into organic shapes, punching holes into them and stringing them up with fish wire. It’s easy, green and way too funky not to try yourself.

This mobile is made from sliced plastic bottles. Photo By Denise Carbonell/Courtesy Flickr.

Salvaged decor can be glamorous, too. Environmental designer Michelle Brand, who finds beautiful solutions to dealing with everyday trash, designed exquisite lighting fixtures and installations from decorative “fabric” she weaves from plastic bottles.