Repurposed Refuse

Designs from scrap material prove last year's trash is this year's treasur

Implications - Tightly-managed home budgets and an eagle eye on one’s environmental impact align for designs that use recycled materials that would otherwise have been thrown away. Twigs, toilet paper rolls and mismatched wine glasses are all given new life to lend luxury to an increasingly spartan lifestyle.
Trend Themes
1. Upcycling - Designs that use recycled materials that would have otherwise been thrown away, are given new life to lend luxury to an increasingly Spartan lifestyle.
2. Environmental Consciousness - Campaigns against global warming like Lancome's Eco-Chic Initiative teamed supermodels with Carbonfund.org to help reduce their carbon footprints.
3. DIY Recycling - People are adopting a 'do-it-yourself' mentality to repurpose everyday objects like plastic bags and garden hose fittings to create useful products and solutions to environmental concerns.
Industry Implications
1. Sustainability - Companies in this industry can capitalize on the growing trend to create eco-friendly products and campaigns that promote environmental consciousness.
2. Fashion and Design - Designers and creatives can explore the trend of upcycling and create unique, environmentally-friendly products like Jerry Tomasek's Twig Furniture and the recycled Windshield Glass products by Second Glass.
3. Home and Decor - The use of recycled products like Rustic Recycled Furniture and Stylish Recycled Wine Glasses can be greatly beneficial for consumers that are looking to make a large profit and appreciate eco-friendly products.
4.6
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
10 Featured, 48 Examples:
1,596,754 Total Clicks
Date Range:
Mar 09 — Mar 09
Trending:
Warm
Consumer Insight Topics:

Featured Examples

Twig Furniture
Twig Furniture
Jerry Tomasek's Unique Designs Using Sticks Found in the Woods
Jerry Tomasek is a self-taught woodworker with a deep respect for nature and the environment. He first envisions the design he wants to make, often sketching it, then walks through the woods looking for… MORE
Paper Bag Couture
Paper Bag Couture
Grocery Sacks Become Gorgeous Gowns in Hands of Design Students
Would you believe these stunning dresses are made from brown paper bags? That’s right; placed in the hands of creative designers, recycled grocery bags can be transformed into gorgeous gowns that perhaps… MORE
Recycled Windshield Glass
Recycled Windshield Glass
Cracked Up Building Panels for Eco-Friendly Architectural Panache
Ron Sundholm, president and founder of Second Glass in Portland, OR, got the idea for his windshield glass recycling company when he saw all the glass going into a dumpster at a shop where he was getting… MORE
play_circle_filledDIY Eco-Sandals
DIY Eco-Sandals
Crocheted Grocery Bags Make Sensible Plarn Shoes
Plarn is yarn made from plastic bags, like the ones you get when you buy groceries. It can be used in knitting and crocheting to make a number of useful products. One of these products is sandals. Emily… MORE
Rustic Recycled Furniture
Rustic Recycled Furniture
Restoration Hardware Factory Cart Table is a Well-Worn Decor Addition
This awesome Furniture Factory Cart table from Restoration Hardware is made from a reclaimed cart that was actually used in a factory at the turn of the 20th century. Each oak cart has been painstakingly… MORE
Bathroom Refuse Masterpieces
Bathroom Refuse Masterpieces
Yuken Teruya's Stunning Carved Toilet Paper Rolls
When we get to the end of the roll of toilet paper, we tend to think of it as just a cardboard tube destined for the recycle bin. Okinawan born artist Yuken Teruya has something else in mind: Art. His… MORE
Stylish Recycled Wine Glasses
Stylish Recycled Wine Glasses
Umbra 'Frosine' Collection of Sandblasted Vessels
If you recognize the shape of any of these new Umbra wine glasses, you’re spot on. Designer Michelle Ivankovic has come up with Frosine, a brilliant yet foggy line of goblets. According to Apartment Therapy,… MORE
play_circle_filledChairs From Toy Blocks
Chairs From Toy Blocks
Pepe Heykoop's 'Brickchair' Stacks Up Instant Design Recognition
Dutch designer Pepe Heykoop was inspired by another artist’s illustration. The other artist’s illustration was inspired by a real chair. The result of this linking of art is the Brickchair, a new furniture… MORE
Lancome Eco-Chic Initiative
Lancome Eco-Chic Initiative
Beautiful At Carbonfund.org
Designer cosmetics and beauty brand, Lancome, launched a new campaign against global warming. Along with selling cute T-shirts for the cause, the Eco-Chic initiative teamed super models with Carbonfund.org… MORE
DIY Bidets
DIY Bidets
Eliminate Wasteful Potty Habits With a Garden Hose
Gregory S. Nottingham takes toilet habits seriously and has come up with a do-it-yourself version of a bidet. The low-tech, low-cost solution uses a garden hose and easy-to-find garden hose fittings to… MORE

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