10+ Ways to Make a Masterpiece Out of Trash and Stun Anyone

Adorable hand-made interior details can make any space cozy and comfortable to live in. If you are tired of seeing an old chandelier on the ceiling, sitting at a chipped table in a creaky chair or if you want changes but don’t want to spend a bunch of money by visiting a furniture store, it’s high time you start getting crafty. It seems like it’s the right time to start creating masterpieces that will make you feel happy every day.

Especially for Bright Side, I am going to share some original ideas of unusual and affordable interior designs that will add some coziness and joy to any home.

What to do with 700 old pencils and a bunch of free time

If you are used to living on the bright side and your home is full of old pens, markers, and colored pencils, don’t rush to throw them away. You can try making a bright lamp out of this “trash.” Assemble a base in any shape from wooden blocks, drill holes where the bulbs will subsequently be located, lay the wiring, and start gluing pencils to the base. You can use old, broken pencils and pens in the center, while new pencils are better used for framing the whole construction, so that it looks more polished. It took me about a week and 700 pencils to create this chandelier. It is quite heavy, which is why the hook you are going to hang it on should be reliable.

For those who like to jot down their thoughts while reading

People who like to make side notes or draw will find the idea of this bedside lamp useful. Apart from being a source of light and nice interior detail, it can also serve as a storage for pens and pencils if you don’t glue them. So you’ll need any table lamp with a lampshade. Cover its base with pencils (glued together), remove the cloth or plastic cover from the lampshade and create a new carcass of the lamp by gluing pencils or felt-tip pens onto it.

Tea set that never breaks

I wasn’t able to find the right lamp for my kitchen for a long time until the moment I saw lamps made of tea cups in one restaurant. So I took a can, made 6 holes in it, and inserted hollow copper tubes in it. I also made holes in mugs and a plate with the help of a tile drill and secured everything with nuts. I put wire bases for halogen bulbs through the hollow tubes and hung the construction on the ceiling.

An additional storage place in the kitchen

Hammer 4 wooden planks together, paint them with a stain to match your kitchen, screw several ordinary coat hooks into it and you will get a simple and convenient cup shelf that will definitely find a place on your dining table or in your kitchen.

Shoes are not just for your feet.

My mom had a pair of ankle boots that she hasn’t been able to fit into since my childhood. They had been collecting dust in our home for 30 years, until I decided to make a lamp out of them. She laughed her head off after seeing my surprise.

I simply took a soda can, cut off the upper part, inserted a socket with an energy-saving light bulb that doesn’t heat up, and hung the boot on the wall. At the same time, I didn’t damage the boot. It can be easily removed from the wall and worn after taking out the lamp from the inside.

A bedside table with a little secret in it

Many of us have that old dusty chess box that’s missing half of the figurines it used to have. It can be used to make a compact table for storing cosmetics, that will also serve as a bedside table when closed.

Attach 4 metal or wooden legs to the bottom part of the chess box. They should be heavy and stable, to prevent the table from turning over when the upper lid is open. This idea can be also used for storing jewelry. If you make separate sections inside the box, each of your jewelry items will have their own place, which will prevent them from tangling.

When you don’t know what to do with your favorite toys:

Are you still unable to say goodbye to your collection of mini-toys from Kinder Surprise eggs? I had this same issue, until the moment I came across an old lampshade at a thrift store. I removed the cloth from it and painted the carcass with white paint. Then with the help of a glue gun, I attached small toys to it. Now my collection is hanging over my head and reminding me about the brightest moments of my childhood. I recommend using an LED lamp to prevent the toys from heating.

To make everyone think you are a magician

You can even make a nice interior detail from an ordinary wooden plank that you can find in the woods. In order to make this “levitating” lamp, you need to take a transparent plastic tube or cut a rectangular piece from a plastic bottle and roll it. Then place the cut pieces of wood onto it, fix them with the help of some transparent glue, and insert a small lamp or flashlight into the base of the construction.

For those who have an explosive nature

You can create a lamp that looks like a huge nuclear explosion by yourself, using a simple plastic bottle, a hot glue gun, a lot of cotton, and a bottle of spray paint. You can find one of the simplest ways of assembling this impressive and crafty piece here. Keep in mind that even though this lamp will look fantastic in any interior, it will still collect a lot of dust.

Cover any object with epoxy and you’ll have a beautiful piece of furniture.

There are thousands of bright interior objects that can be made from the simplest things on the internet. Any wooden plank can start looking like an item from an exclusive furniture boutique if you can learn how to work with epoxy resin.

Everything seems pretty simple: find a wooden base, get the appropriate colorant, add it to the resin, and apply the mixture in layers. However, keep in mind that resin is pretty toxic and that you need to wear a protective mask while working with it outside or in a well-ventilated place.

Your personal cloudy night light

A cloud-like lamp can be a good budget option for a nightlight in a kids’ room. It will be able to change colors gradually if you hide some ordinary Christmas lights that work on batteries inside of it. You can find the instructions on how to make it with your hands in this video. Keep in mind that you can use only LED bulbs for this construction made of cotton, because they don’t heat up.

Free coffee table and chairs

If you’ve just moved into a new house and are short of funds for buying new furniture, you’ll definitely like the idea of this coffee table. It’s easy to find stumps like this, even in a big city — like after a storm, for example. Community services usually cut fallen trees into small stumps to be able to remove them easily. You can ask for a couple of these stumps. First, you’ll need to dry them in the sun for several days, then cover them with varnish or any other wood preservative.

These stumps can also be used as temporary chairs. You can attach small wheels to their base to be able to easily move them. We recommend removing the bark, sanding all the surfaces, and treating them with a wood stain or a glossy varnish for wood.

The dream of a plumber who became an electrician

You can make a cozy lamp that will create a warm atmosphere at home, literally out of any old things that you don’t need anymore, but feel bad about having to throw away. Connect any spare pieces or parts of rusty pipes or parts from antique appliances that you haven’t used for a long time, put a wire inside, attach a bulb holder, paint everything in your favorite color — and your new piece of furniture is ready.

Would you dare make a lamp out of your favorite pair of shoes that you’ll probably never wear again?