We’ve posted plenty of items involving reused belts, but this project is noteworthy because it involves just two belts (and some wood and nails, etc.), to make a shelf. The writer uses belts she bought at thrift stores, but it would obviously work just as well with belts in your closet that you’ve long since stopped wearing:
What I love most about this project is that it is extremely unfussy: a mix of belts looks great; the more worn the wood, the better; and the whole structure is very easy to size up or down, customize (painted shelves, new or colored leather, etc.) and adjust as needed. The only difficulty is that it starts to get a bit heavy if you use thick wood as I did, so I recommend getting a helping hand for the installation, especially if you size the project up to a larger shelving unit.
(via diy project: recycled leather & wood shelf | Design*Sponge)
While looking online for examples of new uses for old leather belts, I came across this photo that Grace of Design*Sponge took at Gather restaurant in Berkeley, California, where seat cushions are beautifully upholstered in old belts. (We mentioned Gather’s seating previously on Unconsumption here.) Great reuse, isn’t it?
![Lori Wyant, known as kikithespunkymunky on Etsy, Pinterest, Facebook, and elsewhere online, used vintage tooled leather and Guatemalan belts to replace the tattered cane seat of her grandmother’s ladder back chair. I haven’t seen a “before” photo of the chair, but I am pretty sure that Lori’s handiwork is an improvement.
Lori also upcycled vintage western belts as new webbing on an old aluminum lawn chair (link to DIY tutorial here), which many of you might recall is a favorite Unconsumption-y project of mine.
If you like these belt-repurposing finds, see others here.
[Thanks, Lori!]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lx7w6hLwo91qzv12bo1_400.jpg)
Lori Wyant, known as kikithespunkymunky on Etsy, Pinterest, Facebook, and elsewhere online, used vintage tooled leather and Guatemalan belts to replace the tattered cane seat of her grandmother’s ladder back chair. I haven’t seen a “before” photo of the chair, but I am pretty sure that Lori’s handiwork is an improvement.
Lori also upcycled vintage western belts as new webbing on an old aluminum lawn chair (link to DIY tutorial here), which many of you might recall is a favorite Unconsumption-y project of mine.
If you like these belt-repurposing finds, see others here.
[Thanks, Lori!]
Among my favorite Unconsumption posts* is this one on using worn leather belts as new webbing on old lawn chairs.
The use of leather belts on the chair pictured above, made by Sao Paolo-based artist Rodrigo Almeida, reminds me of the lawn chairs. This makes me happy.
For those of us who love belt-repurposing but have few unwanted belts of our own, old belts can often be found in abundance at many thrift stores.
For additional projects/ideas involving belts, check out earlier Unconsumption posts here.
*Unconsumption’s published a total of 2,045 posts, so far. Tell us: Which one is your favorite?
(photo via TreeHugger)
![DIY project du jour:
Upcycle old belts into coasters.
On the Daily Danny blog, Danny Seo describes three simple how-to steps:
Cut belts into strips.
Punch holes along the edges. (A leather cutter or an awl could be used.)
Bind strips together with twine.
This project is a great addition to Unconsumption’s series of posts on new uses for old belts, which includes an earlier upcycling project of Danny’s.
[Thanks, Danny!]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lx0n3p7LLb1qzv12bo1_r2_400.jpg)
DIY project du jour:
Upcycle old belts into coasters.
On the Daily Danny blog, Danny Seo describes three simple how-to steps:
- Cut belts into strips.
- Punch holes along the edges. (A leather cutter or an awl could be used.)
- Bind strips together with twine.
This project is a great addition to Unconsumption’s series of posts on new uses for old belts, which includes an earlier upcycling project of Danny’s.
[Thanks, Danny!]
Here’s a neat DIY idea to add to the “repurposing leather belts” idea file:
Use strips of old belts as drawer pulls.
(via Our d-i-y leather pulls, reinterpreted - The Improvised Life)
TING turns vintage leather belts into floor mats and tiles.
(via Apartment Therapy)
See also: Earlier Unconsumption posts on upcycling worn leather belts.
DIY project du jour:
Got an old lawn chair? Replace its webbing with worn leather belts.
(via Green is Universal ReUser’s Guide)
For additional belt-repurposing ideas, check out earlier Unconsumption posts here.
Spare tyre
“Old bike tyres are collected (on a bike with a trailer) from a number of bike shops in London. The tyres are then washed and crafted with care and love, where they begin their new life - keeping your trousers up! Even the workshop where these fantastic belts are made is recycled. It is reclaimed space under the ‘arches’ of the railway line in Brixton, South London.”
via green gorilla
Via laughingsquid:
Pictures of this bench (with belts donated by folks in Madison, Wisconsin) have made their way around the blogosphere recently.
Last month, at Gather Restaurant in Berkeley, California, Unconsumption reader Susan C. spotted a built-in bench, a banquette “upholstered” in worn leather belts.
I think furniture covering is a great use of old belts. Have you seen anything bench-like, or other belt-covered pieces of furniture?
