7 of the Best Ways to Upcycle Old Crates

With the start of a new year comes the obligatory tradition of making resolutions. What better way to start the decade than with the optimism of being good to the earth this year? Resolutions are notoriously hard to keep, but with an exciting and creative DIY activity like upcycling, which has little negative consequences for the planet, there’s no reason why you’ll break this resolution. Using wooden crates for upcycling projects also means that energy won’t be needed to break down the crates, and you and your family can enjoy their rustic and earthy quality for longer in the form of beautiful new furniture for your home.

Storage

The new year often calls for a tidy-up, and if objects no longer ‘spark joy’, it’s probably a good time to get rid. It’s important to look after what you have, and wooden crates can offer some minimal storage solutions for your belongings. The shape of the wooden crate lends itself to square or rectangular objects like records or books, but the crate is versatile, and you can also store wine or blankets inside for a quiet night in. The nature of wooden crates allows them to fit snugly and flush to walls or corners, saving space and making storing all your belongings look tidy.

Garden Beds

A raised garden bed made from wooden crates is the perfect cradle for your indoor or outdoor plant babies. Recycling wooden crates means you can lengthen the life of a crate and improve the quality of life of your plants or produce. Wooden crate garden beds would make a pleasing addition to your home, as plants inside your home act as natural air filters, making the air around you cleaner and better for you to breathe.

Wooden crates can be made especially durable outdoors, too, if lined with landscape material, which is great for regulating water and allowing the right kind of insects to reach your plants. And this way, the garden bed will see you through many seasons of fruitful produce.

Bar

Upcycling wooden crates has never been more stylish, and with a cool drink in hand from your very own bar, you’ll find it easy to see why. For a simple way to entertain, you can secure a few crates together with wood screws and attach a level timber board above the crates, serving as your bar-top. All you need to do is decorate with a couple of your favourite bottles and some chilled glasses that you prepared earlier.

To double your bar up as a mobile station, you can add castor wheels to the bottom so you can take your bar cart with you, wherever you are in the house. It’s also possible for the bar to act as an extra set of shelfs when you’re not entertaining, or alternatively as a buffet station for an alfresco lunch or dinner.

Artwork

If you’re interested in taking up a new hobby like painting or sculpture, wooden crates can be recycled and made into a canvas for your next masterpiece. Making art is good for us, allowing us to express our creativity and reducing the stress and anxiety of day to day life, so there’s even more reason to get involved in a DIY wooden crate project. By using recycled wooden crates for artwork, there’s also no negative consequences for the environment and plenty of benefits for you. Crates can be broken down into boards and assembled to make a large canvas for painting your new collection, or if you’re feeling handy with a saw and some sand paper, you could even create an abstract sculpture or wall hanging for the garden.

Headboard

Keep thinking that the spare room might need a little bit of an update? Why not construct a wooden headboard with recycled crates to give it an exciting and modern look, along with a renewed energy for guests? It could also act as a trial piece before you make the decision to craft one for your own bedroom. A new headboard is a great way to fill up your time on a DIY wooden crate project, as it requires the dismantling of crates into boards of wood.

It’s easy to customise the headboard for the room, allowing you to add reading lights, plants or even storage. You can treat, paint or sand down your headboard into its desired design, and you can rest easy at night knowing that your bed is unique and you’re not increasing the demand for a new piece of furniture.

Coffee Table

There’s no shortage of DIY wooden crate projects, and there’s always room for a new indoor or outdoor coffee table in any space. Coffee tables are practical for holding just about anything and keeping your drink at the perfect arm height for when you might need it. A coffee table can also double as a plant stand or bedside table, so there are plenty of reasons to upcycle those crates and keep them in use for as long as possible. For a cool, bohemian and functional table, look no further than the simple wooden crate.

Bookcase/Shelf

Recycling wooden crates into a bookcase is easy, and often all you’ll have to do is stack and secure them together to create a couple of different shelves. An upcycled wooden crate bookcase is a great way to fill up any space in your home, and you can take pleasure in showing off your best titles, favourite books, or reminding yourself what you promised that you’d read. It’s also a good plan to surround your family with books, foster the habit of reading and inspire – maybe you’ll have the next J.K. Rowling on your hands.

There’s no shortage of wooden crates in the world and there are plenty of DIY and upcycling projects for you to attempt at home. Why not make your way through the list this new year and maybe you’ll be encouraged to keep this resolution for many more to come. Recycling wooden crates is good for the planet and your home, and maybe even your friends and family who get to benefit from all the DIY attempts that come their way as gifts as you hone your craft.