We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.

 7 Upcycling Projects for a Sustainable Home

 

As the temperatures get warmer and the sun comes out more and more each day, it’s easy to get inspired. Especially, if you are interested in eco-friendly DIY decor.

Upcycling projects can be especially fun. You get to take your trash and turn it into something useful. This helps keep trash out of landfills and gives old materials new life.

If you are itching for a new project, we have some eco-friendly DIY decor ideas for you.

 

The Best Eco-friendly DIY Decor for Spring

 

Spring is a time when people can start planting seeds. Home centers and department stores start selling seeds and plants. Everyone is ready to dig in the dirt.

The first two items on this list are for those gardeners. These ideas are beautiful and eco-friendly DIY decor for your home.

But, spring is also about new starts and organizing messy spaces. You may be ready to clean out your drawers and finally get your bathroom sink under control.

The rest of the list contains ways to take your everyday trash into organizers. These are functional yet beautiful decor for all around the home. These eco-friendly DIY decor ideas will have you digging in the recycling bin.

 

#1 K-cup Planters

 

 

This first eco-friendly DIY decor project is easy if you drink coffee from a single-use coffee pot. These are popular coffee makers, but they generate a lot of trash.

K-cups, the plastic cups with coffee grounds in them, work great as DIY planters. The process of making your coffee pierces a hole into the bottom of the plastic cup. This is ideal for drainage once you place a plant in the cup.

These cups are also small and usually white, so they are customizable. They work well for succulents, seedlings, and other small plants.

 

How to Create K-Cup Planters

 

If you want to create your own K-cup planters, all you need are a few supplies. Get a hand full of plastic cups, some permanent markers, and any other decorations you like.

To get started on this eco-friendly DIY decor project, first, you’ll need to clean out the used coffee. These cups usually have a paper or mesh coffee filter inside of them to hold the coffee grounds.

Pull out the filter and dump your used coffee grounds on a flat surface to dry. You can sprinkle these around your outdoor garden beds. Coffee grounds discourage slugs and snails.

Next, wash out the cup. The fun part of this eco-friendly DIY decor project is decorating. You can customize your planter in any way. For instance, you can decorate the outside by drawing beautiful pictures or designs.

You could also get scraps of fabric and wrap the cups with the fabric. Then, tie a bow at the top of the planter for an elegant look.

You could also take Modge Podge and scraps of colored paper. Apply the Modge Podge all over the cup and then place the paper all around it. Seal the paper with another layer of glue on the outside.

Finally, all you have left in this eco-friendly DIY decor project is to fill the planters with soil and a tiny plant.

These K-cup planters look great on window seals or shelves.

 

#2 Old Ladder Plantstand

 

 

Another eco-friendly DIY decor project you can try is turning an old ladder into a plant stand.

All you need for this project is an old a-frame ladder, sandpaper, paint, brushes, and some plants.

If your ladder is particularly fragile or rickety, you may want to repair it so that it will stand. Make sure to seal away or remove any rusty parts that someone could brush against.

Then, sand the ladder to prepare the surface, and paint it a color that matches your decor. You could go for a bold color like bright red or teal. This would make it eye-catching against the greenery of the plants.

You could even take it up a notch and get stencils and create designs on the ladder.

Once you’ve decorated the ladder plant stand to your liking, place it in a corner or near a window. Arrange your indoor plants on it. This is a cheap and eco-friendly DIY project that is easy to complete.

It looks great in the home and is different from conventional plant stands.

 

#3 Cake Pan Tier Tray

 

Tier trays work well for displaying your spring decor. They also elevate some of the items you keep on tables or countertops. This adds dimension to your decor and frees up space. For another eco-friendly DIY decor project, try reusing old baking pans.

Sometimes baking pans get a little dingy and seem to stick. They are no longer great for baking, but they can be fantastic for DIYing.

Take any old baking pans you have. These could be round cake pans, or even square or rectangle ones. Begin arranging them. Larger pans should be towards the bottom and smaller toward the top.

Next, you’ll want something to go between the layers to create the tiered effect. You can use old candle sticks, old glasses, dowel rods, or leftover wood railing–get creative. You need something think and column-like.

To affix the pieces to each other, use e6000 glue. This is a super strong glue that works on most surfaces. You will want to do one layer at a time. It takes a while for it to dry. Also, weigh down each layer to ensure secure adhesion.

For a final touch, you can paint the whole tier tray with chalk paint. If you are going for a farmhouse look, you can even distress the piece by dry brushing it with a rust color.

This eco-friendly DIY decor piece will be perfect for a vignette in your home. It will elevate the look of any table or countertop.

 

#4 Glass Jar Bathroom Containers

 

 

You can reuse your glass jars as display containers in your home. If you have a messy bathroom counter, this eco-friendly DIY decor project will help.

Take your old glass jars. They can be in varying sizes. You may want to look at what items you need to store. Some ideas may be cotton swabs, cotton balls, makeup pads, or make-up brushes.

Then, match your jars to the items you need to store. Clean your jars with soap and water, making sure to save the lid and clean it well, too.

Remove the label. You may need to use some GooGone to get the adhesive completely off.

Now, you can begin to decorate the jars. You can leave them glass, so you can see what’s inside them or you can go for a milk glass look. To do this, you paint them with a few coats of chalk paint on the outside.

Then, take the lids. To make them look like apothecary jars, you’ll need a handle of some sort. You can use large beads, corks from wine bottles, or buy knobs.

Attach them to the lids using the e6000 glue. After the glue dries, paint the lid and handle to match. You may consider a metallic spray paint, such as this rubbed bronze.

You can put your cotton balls or other bathroom items into glass containers. Then, display your chic, eco-friendly DIY decor on a countertop or shelf.

 

#5 Tin Can Desk Organizer

 

 

A desk organizer is another way to organize your space with an eco-friendly DIY decor project.

For this project, you will need some used tin cans, Modge Podge glue, and scraps of colored paper.

Clean out the tins and remove the top. Sand down any sharp edges, if there are any.

Coat the outside of the tin with Modge Podge. Then, put the colored paper on the outside of the tin. Apply a light layer of glue on top of the paper to seal it.

These will be colorful organizers where you can store pens, scissors, markers, and the like. You can even use smaller tins, like tuna cans, for paper clips.

Set these lovely eco-friendly DIY decor items around your desk. Or, you could glue them together with e6000 to create a more compact organizer.

 

#6 Wine Bottle Pendant Lights

 

 

Wine drinkers can use glass bottles to create pendant lights. These look lovely over a dining room table to create soft, mood lighting.

This eco-friendly DIY decor project requires a glass cutter, a pendant light kit, and a light bulb.

Follow the instructions in the kit to cut the wine glass. Insert the cord for the pendant light through the neck of the bottle, and insert a bulb into the base of the bottle. Then, hang it up.

This wine bottle pendant light will look high-end. It has an industrial look to it, and it is an eco-friendly DIY decor project.

 

#7 Toilet Paper Roll Drawer Organizer

 

 

If you have a junk drawer that is getting out of control, try using toilet paper rolls to organize it. Cut the toilet paper rolls in half. Then, place them inside your drawer. Finish up this eco-friendly DIY decor project by placing whatever items you need to organize in each tube.

This will get your clutter under control while upcycling those ubiquitous toilet paper tubes.

 

Conclusion

 

Eco-friendly DIY decor can be fun and easy. With spring on the way, you are probably excited to start planting and organizing your cluttered spaces.

If that is the case, try out these 7 eco-friendly DIY decor projects this spring to help make your space more functional, sustainable, and attractive.

Looking for more DIY decor ideas? Here are 7 Projects to Upgrade Your Space on a Budget.