Furniture for next to nothing: cool pallets

Adonis Adoni Adonis Adoni
Charming Suite, BARASONA Diseño y Comunicacion BARASONA Diseño y Comunicacion Bedroom
Loading admin actions …

Once pallets were only used as a means of storage and shipping of goods. Not any more. Nowadays pallets have transcended their intended one-use nature to become a desired element of house interior design. Adventurous DIY people have redefined pallets into furniture: from tables to couches and anything else their creative minds will devise!

By dissembling the wooden pallets into planks, they can be used for numerous projects, offering a stylish and rustic décor indoors and out. You can source pallets from construction sites, landscape companies, hardware and lumber stores or even newspaper and distribution centres.

Got your hands on some pallets yet? Then get ready for some innovative ideas to use them as cool furniture!

Coffee table

Here is an easy to make, simple coffee table. It only took a pallet with two half planks on each side to create a square piece of  furniture that's perfect for resting wine and books. Depending on your needs and the kind of wood your pallets are made from, coffee table designs can be altered by adding casters on the bottom for movement or another layer in the the middle for storage.

Dinner table

You can use pallets to create a novel dining table. When building a dining table you might want to make sure to stay away from pallets that have been chemically treated. And for better durability you can add a finishing touch of wax or deck sealer. Depending on the size and your needs, a dining table can just be one pallet with added legs, as the picture shows, or it can change in size and design as you build it. It is a normal occurrence for designs to change in the process of DIY projects.

Sofa

For more elaborate projects you can try constructed seating. Whether indoors or outdoors, pallets are the perfect material for making sitting arrangement that will woo your friends.  A corner sofa, as pictured, can be ideal for the garden.

An easy way of creating cool sofas is by placing the pallets on top of each other to add volume and nailing further pallets to the back. Make sure to sand those splinters when dissembling the pallets to build the sofa otherwise it will make sitting very uncomfortable!  Add a set of upholstered foam pillows and you are good to go. 

Chair

Another way of reconfiguring pallets into rustic furniture is by creating a chair or armchair. This example shows how to use two pallets cut down, to create the idea place to enjoy a good book or a movie. You will only need a set of cushions and the armchair is ready for use. For an extra touches you can add stainless steel plates to offer stability and a fresh brush of paint for colour. 

Bed

It's almost unbelievable how this beautiful, suspended bed was once a set of useless pallets. Yet, with a little imagination, fitting two pallets together created a  wonderful double bed.

Add four strong chains or pieces of rope, attach to the ceiling to hold the new bed frame and you have a hanging masterpiece. While this might seem as a difficult project you can opt for easier solutions with two pallets on the floors for frames. But still, the hanging bed steals the day, does it not?

Shelves

Another way of using pallets is to construct shelves. Everybody loves organisation and creating pallet shelves will surely help on that front. You can follow the example shown here and create a tiered storage space in the kitchen for your paraphernalia. You can also use a pallet to create a floating shelf for displaying your pictures in the living room or even build a bookshelf for your bedroom. The sky is really the limit with pallets!

With pallets, a new avenue opens for creating cheap and cool furniture. It will only require a couple of weekends from you time and some craft self-reliance. Are you ready to create your own rustic furniture from recycling pallets?

For more budget home inspiration, take a look at: Brilliant Tips For Budget Decorating.

Need help with your home project?
Get in touch!

Highlights from our magazine