Incredible Upcycled Furniture - A Lifeline - Not Just A Project

Pedaling the upcycle line.

1. Getting to know ... us (The Furniture Re-use Network)

Photographer: Furniture Re-use Network / Via frn.org.uk

The Furniture Re-use Network (FRN) - comprised of 200 furniture re-use charities - reach as many vulnerable people in crisis whilst reducing waste at the same time.

How? Easy. Quality household items (from washing machines to sofas) are donated by you, the general public. These are given, for free, to people in urgent need, or sold at a very low cost.

And it doesn't stop there! Through training and volunteering opportunities, our charities work with people in need - perhaps they were homelessness, have mental health issues, are ex-offenders or dealing with long term unemployment and more.

Talent might be hidden at first but these furniture re-use charities find it in everyone - and when sometimes the furniture they receive is in need of a little sparkle - long lost, trodden on confidence and imagination is found and the results are amazing!

2. Best Upcycled Award Presented by Salvage Sister Charis Williams to Andy Simpson at Doncaster Refurnish.

Charis Williams - Salvage Sister with Andy Simpson, CEO of Doncaster Refurnish. Volunteer John Anderson with his finished award winning table. Photographers: Nick Freeman; Stuart Grimwood / Via refurnish.co.uk

It was the colours and intricate detail of the table that had caught Charis' eye and this is why she awarded Doncaster Refurnish with The Upcycled Item at the Furniture Re-use Network annual conference 2016. Due to long term unemployment John Anderson, the artist behind the piece, has been volunteering for Doncaster Refurnish. Being at Doncaster Refurnish has really reminded him of what he is actually capable of!

3. A bed of flowers or a bed for flowers?

Photographer: 2nd Chance Furniture Re-Use, Chapter 1. James and Rob bring their skills together. / Via chapter1.org.uk

A bed for flowers made from an old bed by James and Rob. 2nd Chance helped James onto a floristry course at the local college and he now runs his own floristry business! Rob turns his talent for woodwork to making things from scratch out of scap wood and discarded wooden items. Both volunteer some of their time at 2nd Opportunities Furniture Re-use.

4. Palliit - The coolest new furniture range - made from pallets.

Photographer: Brogan Scullion, The Palliit sofa, welsh dresser and coffee table. / Via reviive.co.uk

Got a pallet you've been meaning to chuck? Time to dust it down and put your wood skills to the task! Reviive have carpenter David Williamson (Will for short) on the task with their pallets.

5. The Plumbers Delight?

Photographer: West Kent YMCA. Students know better than to throw anything away! / Via westkentymca.org.uk

Any plumbing pipe lying around? When the plumbing exam finished, students from the West Kent YMCA Horizons Project found they had a little too much plumbing pipe so they got inventive, making sure every scrap was reused.

6. It's ALL about the trash!

Photographer: Emmaus Brighton & Hove, it's all about the trash! / Via emmaus.org.uk

The imaginations of the furniture re-use charities is endless and where we may see rubbish they see potential! Take Emmaus Brighton & Hove for instance. They've opened their Emporium and have used everything they can get their hands on to make their store a wonderful treasure trove! Upside down standing lamps to light up the room & suitcases for bookcases are just the start.

7. What to do with all that scrap wood?

Photographer: Jersey Employment Trust, Signs, pebble flowers and herb labels. / Via acorn.co.je

Got scrap wood? Make anything. As the Acorn Woodshack team prove. Acorn Woodshack is a Jersey Employment Trust project for people with disabilities or long term health conditions who may have complex needs or require additional skill development before they find employment. They get to try out new skills, discover their own strengths and build their confidence.

8. A little lick of paint and a lot of TLC goes a long way!

Photographer: TCL ReUse Centre / Via tclreuse.org.uk

Lenny, a volunteer at TCL ReUse Centre, puts the finishing touches to what was a very ordinary dresser. And the TCL ReUse Centre drivers put the finished item onto the van ready for delivery!

9. The bed bench...

Photographer: St Vincent de Pauls, The bed bench. / Via svp.org.uk

"It used to annoy me when a pine bed frame came in with important bits missing, so we'd have to throw it away. One day I saw a picture of a bench made from a bed and we haven't looked back!" says SVP Wakefield shop manager Janine Cullen. With her team on volunteers and trainees on placement she has been creating these gems and stopping perfectly good wood heading to the tip!