Eco-Chic Ideas for Your Home

1. Mixed Glass Centerpiece

 

Grouped on a tray and filled with leaves and flowers, weathered bottles and jars make an easy table dressing.

1. Collect your bottles of various shapes and sizes over time (mustard jars, perfume bottles, and jelly jars all work well), or salvage some for just pennies at thrift stores.
2. Randomly fill some of the containers with leaves and flowers and place them on a serving tray or platter, packing the jars tightly together.

2. Sweater Seats

Cozy up a set of chairs by reupholstering them with pieces from outgrown or thrift-store sweaters.

1. Cut a sweater apart, working up the side seams and across the shoulders. Trim off the neck hole and sleeves, leaving two squares of fabric slightly larger than the seat of the chair.
2. Unscrew the seat cushions from the chairs. (The screws are usually on the cushion’s underside.)
3. Cover the cushions with the sweater fabric, and secure the cloth edges to the underside using a staple gun or small tacks.
4. Trim any excess and reattach the cushion to the chair.

3. Bamboo Serving Utensils

Tossing salad is a cinch with these sleek, curvy serving utensils. It’s made of fast-growing bamboo, a more sustainable material than wood.

4. Recycled Glass Dishes

You recycle bottles, so why not enjoy the fruits of your labor? The rustic charm of these green-tinted bowls comes from used glass containers.

5. Rustic Candles

Melt down the dregs of burned-out candles to make new ones in old flowerpots. You’ll give both items a new lease on life.

1. Scrub the inside of the pot only, leaving the outside aged.
2. Use a coin to cover the drainage hole in the bottom.
3. Insert a ready-made stiff cotton wick (sold at craft stores) or make your wick out of cotton twine. To hold the wick upright, tie one end loosely to a pencil laid across the top of the pot.
4. Melt chunks of old candles in a pot set over a low flame or in a double boiler. Pour the liquid wax into the flowerpots.
5. Let set overnight and then trim the wick.

6. Tiered Tray

Find a new purpose for mismatched dinnerware sets in the form of a tiered serving tray for hors d’oeuvres or desserts, or use it as a catch-all for jewelry, keys, and other small knickknacks.

1. Gather three plates and two cups.
2. Alternating between plates of descending size, using teacups as spacers between the tiers, glue the dishes together with a strong epoxy. To avoid using excess glue, apply only to the rim and bottom of the cup, rather than the plate.
3. Allow the glue to dry overnight, then hand wash before using.

7. Glass Food Containers

When heated, plastic containers can break down and leach chemicals into food. Reusable, durable lidded glass ones are safer for your family and the planet. Use them to store leftovers or dry goods like pasta and beans.

8. Microfiber Cleaning Cloths

For everyday cleaning, paper towels are expensive, create unnecessary waste, and tear easily. Instead, stock up on Method’s microfiber cleaning cloths. They’re washable, reusable, and better at trapping dirt and spills.

9. Soap Bottle

We’re often told to buy cleaners in bulk to save on packaging, but it’s not always practical and doable to keep a gallon-size jug of dish soap by the sink. A clear plastic condiment bottle left over from the last BBQ easily dispenses with the problem.

1. Soak an old squeezable bottle in hot water to clean off the label and remove any food residue, then let air dry.
2. Add soap; refill as needed.

10. Cork Trivet

They don’t just keep your wine from spilling and spoiling; corks can also protect your tables and countertops from hot pots and pans.

1. For a medium-sized trivet, collect at least 50 uniformly sized corks.
2. Stand them upright and arrange them into a tight circle.
3. Surround corks with an 8- to 10-inch metal hose clamp (sold in the plumbing section of the hardware store).
4. Tighten the clamp to bind the corks together and then trim the excess clamp with metal clippers.