Home Reno - Green Design

Reduce, reuse, recycle. 

Sometimes it's easier said than done. 

In my home reno, while I planned to reuse existing materials, I was sometimes tempted to use new ones instead because of some reasons, one of them is the fact that upcycling old materials sometimes cost the same (or even more) than buying new ones.

Like my carport flooring which use broken pieces of my old floor tiles.. It costs just a bit less if compares with using new tiles (but looking at the unique result, I don't regret my decision).

The same thing goes to my single seater sofas. I got them from my parents and it's been a while since the last reupholstering and they look outdated, so this time I brought two of them to Jakarta Vintage to be refurbished using my Ikea fabric. It costs almost the same like buying new ones, but the stunning result and the idea of keeping a bit of family history is priceless :)

That's being said, I must also share the old stuff that are being reused and/or upcycled which cost only fraction of the cost if using new materials..

I reuse almost all of the existing doors and frames at the 1st floor. A fresh coat of paint was all the trick needed.

These wooden beams were salvaged from my old roof. 

The step stones by the old fish pond are also reused, now they sit prettily in my front garden. 

Reupholstering is the easy and affordable way to spruce up chairs and sofas.. well,  depends on the fabric you choose ofcourse :D I bought this sofa at Ikea when we're still living in Spore. Over the years finally the fabric's torn, thus reupholstery to the rescue :) (I got it reupholstered at Helloilmare)

More hand-me-down furnitures from my parents.. a big divider cabinet and an audio shelves.

We had the cabinet painted in white with new antique handles installed.

And then drawers were added to the audio shelves. We had the previous finishing stripped off, so now it's in a raw condition, perfect for future DIY project.

And finally, the kitchen set :) with new island counter, granite counter top and backsplash installed, also freshly painted old cabinets with new handles, the kitchen now looks completely new! Though it costs quite some for me, but we managed to save by using existing cabinets, fridge, stove and hood.

One more upcycled furniture I designed is built-in wall cabinet turned into seating cabinet/ bench. I'll post the picture next time.. Be patient, stay curious ;)