You've probably heard the phrase "One man's trash is another man's treasure". The most creative of minds can pick what most of us would consider a completely useless item from a thrift store pile and create a haute (and often expensive!) piece of decor from it.
There are many commonly picked items for repurposing as the trend catches steam ranging from milk jugs to antique windows. One of the most popular trash items for repurposing circulating the channels of Pinterest and DIY blogs alike is shipping pallets.
Functional Storage Uses
I don't know about you, but a shipping pallet would be the last item that I could ever envision creating a useful household fixture from. Despite it's useless appearance, however, the shipping pallet has been modified by various DIY aficionados to serve a number of useful purposes around the house and garden. Some storage uses for repurposed pallets include garden tool storage, wine rack, china display, hanging shelving unit, and many others.
Furnishings
Of all of the potential uses of a shipping pallet furniture seems to be the most varied and common. Due to the sturdy and flat nature of the pallet it can easily be cut and manipulated to form a variety of basic furniture shapes, including but certainly not limited to coffee tables, daybeds, lounge chairs, bed frames, porch swings, kitchen islands, window seating, mud room benches, etc. With just a few hinges, nails, some paint and depending on your chosen function some cushions you can take a worthless and inexpensive piece of trash and create a rustic and functional home furnishing.
Repurposing offers a way for you to not only create unique and beautiful pieces for very little expense but also to help the environment by recycling items that would otherwise necessitate cutting down more trees or using other resources to supply the same result.