Design Trends 2011 - Trend #8 Upcycling

“Upcycling is the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value.” - Wikipedia

Upcycled house goods will be even bigger in 2011, according to those at Etsy, the online marketplace for handcrafted materials. Look for plastic bags turned into bowls, wine bottles into mini lamps, wine bottle corks into cork boards , vintage silk scarfs into pillows, neckties into throw blankets, old barn wood used to make furniture and as the canvas for artwork, 1980s speakers into a sofa table and bike parts into clocks. A turquoise mini file box made with vintage record album covers by FreeStyle Gifts of San Francisco ($38, www.etsy.com/shop/FreestyleGifts) could be used for coupons, recipes and the larger sizes could be used for kid’s artwork storage.

We are seeing more recycled-content building and remodeling materials such as countertops and backsplashes, and reclaimed wood floors (Trend #4).

I am proud to say that we as a whole are really becoming more environmentally conscience. With all the vintage style, upcycling, and recycling, “going green” is more than just a short-lived fad!

Design Trends 2011 - Trend #2 Vintage, Vintage, Vintage

Not just furniture but art, accessories, dishes, and fabrics too.  Give the new life to old treasures.  If you are lucky you have pieces you have inherited from your grandparents and great grandparents, pieces that you may think are dated or out of style but sometimes just adding a coat of paint and repurposing your treasure is all you need to not only have a conversation piece but also bring some history and maybe even childhood memories into your home. The green buffet shown to the right was my grandmother's.  She actually painted it herself in 1970's (hence the olive green finish) but it fits perfectly into my turquoise and green color scheme, plus people ask me about it all the time, which is great way to remind me of  how special she was to our family!

If you aren’t lucky enough to have family heirlooms, go to flea markets and estate sales.  Look at the shape and lines of the piece not the finish or the fabric, those can be changed.  Not only is it green to buy and reuse vintage furniture but they are usually built better, made of solid wood and much sturdier (I am not sure they knew what particle board was back then!).

Don’t store you grandma’s dishes and only get them out once a year for that prefect occasion, use them, enjoy them, hey if they are really cool, hang them on the wall.  If you have some really unique vintage fabric but don’t have much, have accent pillows made for the sofa or placemats for the dining table. If you have at least 3 yards, you could have an accent chair recovered for your room. 

A lot of the time old artwork looks terrible because it is framed terribly, but don’t let that deter, trash the old frame and pick a frame that is more fitting to the piece of art.  Be creative, think outside the box and if you can’t, let me know and I will do it for you!