Cardboard boxes are here to stay, and though it’s helpful that they’re recyclable, wouldn’t it be better if we could find an alternate use for them? The best option may still be to re-use them until they fall apart, but some creative thinkers are transforming them into surprisingly sturdy and totally free eco-friendly furniture.
Household goods retailer DIY Living offers a bonus with every box you order: instructions on how to fold the cardboard boxes into functional pieces of home decor (pictured top). The boxes can turn into coffee tables, stools or lamp shades.
Designer Janine Perkuhn repurposes boxes into furniture with a project entitled ‘Move!’ Once you unpack your belongings after moving, just fold the flaps as directed to turn your moving boxes into stools and side tables – perfect for strapped college students.
And while this may not be as practical, since you have to buy IKEA goods in order to get the boxes, the Swedish home goods retailer has demonstrated how its flat-pack boxes can be transformed into beds, lamps, tables and chairs.

