Shipping pallets are ubiquitous and are often junked after a single use. Some eco-friendly green living designers and artists have decided to make better use of this valuable resource. With a little imagination, shipping pallets can be transformed into amazing works of art and functional furniture. Reclaiming old wood is all the rage and the pine used for shipping pallets is the perfect material for an upcycling project.
Old Bits of Wood is an innovative shop run by Larry Jones from Huston, Texas. Larry handcrafts each beautiful item from reclaimed shipping pallets and fencing. While Larry makes a wide selection of custom-built items, its his gorgeous coffee tables that tickle my fancy most. Its one of Larry’s pieces which is the featured picture and other fine pieces are shown in the pictures below. Contact Larry on Etsy.com if you wish to have a custom sized piece made or browse his lovely shop here.
Green Living: Old Bits of Wood Coffee Table
Green living: Old Bits of Wood Dog Box
Built by Boots is a wonderful store where all the unique crafts are built by active duty military and veterans. Shop owner Brice Ayres is happy to discuss custom builds. The shop has an eclectic mix of stunning pieces and is well worth a visit. Some of their wares are pictured below, but feel free to browse their Etsy.com shop here.
Green Living: Built by Boots Headboard
Green living: Built by Boots Rack
Michelle E. Black takes summer trips to Hermosa Beach with her family where she like to sit and watch the surfers. She recreates a scene (pictured below) from one of her visits on an upcycled shipping pallet which was used to ship dental equipment. This breathtaking piece is one-of-a-kind which you can see on her Etsy shop here. Michelle is an avid photographer and artist who has utilized pallets in many of her works – browse her lovely shop to see other shipping pallet art.
Green living: Michelle E Black
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HI can you please remove this top coffee table from your site? This person is using my original project photos and claiming to have made this table and has been profiting off of it quite a bit. My original post is here if you would like to see it: http://www.thewonderforest.com/2011/09/diy-rustic-pallet-coffee-table.html thank you.
Also, just wanted to add that none of the photos that Larry uses in his shop are his own.
Hi Dana – I will happily take it off, can you let me know if its the first picture or the last one? Or, send me your info and we will put that up instead.
Love re-using old wood for new purposes! I just want to caution people about using too much pallet material for indoors. Some of it is treated with chemicals that will release into your home, so I reccommend double checking the wood before bringing it inside. Some things we have done at my house are build the exterior frame for a compost pile, and a garden shelf for all my various tools and pots.
Thanks Christina! That’s really good advice