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To most people, seeing a pile of old pallets makes them think about filling up the local landfills or burning pallet firewood on a cold night….but not much else. To a DIYer however, that pile of old pallets is a massive, open invitation to get creative and make some unique DIY pallet furniture ideas.
The big payoff is the sense of satisfaction gained from creating new unique DIY pallet furniture ideas use out of an old item that can be upcycled and repurposed. As far as old items go, pallets are the perfect material for “do it yourself” furniture projects because of their versatility and availability.
So where do you readily find these pallets that are screaming for a new purpose in life? Your gut may tell you to hit up your local big box, home improvement stores, but they do not tend to be good sources. Plus, it seems like they tend to use the plastic pallets more these days.
Be on the lookout at your local “mom and pop” type businesses who may be throwing them away. I actually get mine from a local roofing company. I have heard of people having some luck with sources like Craigslist and Freecycle, as well. Learn more about the unique DIY pallet furniture ideas that will inspire you.
Without further ado, here are 23 amazing unique DIY pallet furniture ideas to help you upcycle those old wooden pallets into amazing features of your home that will wow your friends and family (www.airmaniax.com).
1. Sectional Sofa
image via 101 Pallets
Sectional sofas are perfect for almost all types of space because they can be arranged as needed and offer a lot of seating for large families. The problem for most people is that these can be very expensive.
Create your own sectional sofa using pallets. Ideas for decor are limitless, as you can paint them to fit your living room or family room color scheme or add thick cushions and pillows for comfort. Your guests will be asking you where you got your new sofa from because they’ll love the concept (and the price)!
2. Kitchen Island
image via WooHome
Maybe your kitchen could use an upgrade with a kitchen island. After all you’ve got the room right?
But, the last thing you want to do is go through the hassle of a kitchen remodel. Believe it or not, you can create your own kitchen island using wood pallets that is perfect for doing the kids’ homework or preparing meals.
The extra counter space will be so useful that you’ll wonder how you got along without it.
3. Recycle Bin
image via The Thinking Closet
Kick your recycling up a notch by creating an amazing recycling bin out of pallets for your home. You can open it from the top to put in your recycling items, and the hinge on the front makes it easy to empty it out.
You can even adapt this for your garbage bin. Just add a way that you’re able to keep the garbage bag in place, like a wire rim that it can rest upon.
4. Wine Rack
image via Goods Home Design
Wine racks are all the rage right now. They’re perfect for storing several bottles of wine while saving space in the kitchen.
Often, these wine racks are rather expensive to purchase, but you can use a bit of ingenuity and a pallet or two to create your very own pallet wine rack. Not only does this making storing your wine bottles a breeze, but you can also use the top for storing other items and the hanging shelf for some of your wine glasses.
5. False Chimney Entertainment Center
image via 1001 Pallets
Thinking outside of the box is one of the best things that a DIYer can do for themselves with the materials that they have on hand. This entertainment center is a decorative touch that really gives a home unique DIY pallet furniture ideas and amazing features.
This false wall can really “pop” in your living room or den, and is a great way to display your entertainment system without having to shell out the big bucks for a store-bought one.
6. Tool Storage Shelf
image via Funky Junk Interiors
You’ve probably made an effort to clean up your garage or basement when it comes to storage. If you have, then you know that shelving for these rooms can often be expensive or look rather tacky.
Well, have no fear, because you can create your own tool storage shelf using you guessed it…. pallets! The best part about using pallets for this purpose is that you can make the shelves the size you want. That way, you’re able to design your shelf to fit the particular tools you have.
7. Pallet Shoe Rack
image via 101 Pallets
Storage is one of those touchy subjects for many families. It can be hard to find storage solutions that offer more than one use, but this pallet shoe rack is perfect for busy families or those of us with more shoes than they’ll ever need. You know who you are!
This helps to keep your mudroom or entryway clear with the shoes neatly put away, and a nice place to sit to get ready to leave or to place items that are often needed on your way out the door (i.e. car keys!).
8. Stadium Seating
image via Imgur
Do you have a basement, bonus room, or a home theater? Here is a very affordable way to create stadium seating for that space so the whole family can watch movies in true comfort and totally unobstructed!
The pallets allow you the flexibility to arrange your pallet sofa seating to fit your room and also to create as much height as needed. Of course, you can paint the pallet wood to match the décor of your room as well.
9. Pirate Chest
image via 1001 Pallets
This is an awesome idea for anyone with young children who are fascinated with pirates and treasure. You can make them their very own pirate chest using some pallets.
This not only looks amazing and stimulates imaginations, but it will be perfect for storing toys, blankets or anything else that clutters the room.
10. Chef Rack
image via A Greenpoint Kitchen
Your kitchen is usually one of the most used rooms in your home, and as such, is often the most cluttered room. One way to clear up storage space in your cabinets is by finding other places to store your pots and pans.
A chef rack is a very popular option for this, and can be hung over a kitchen island or the stove. A few hooks and your pots and pans are up out of the way. As a bonus, it also adds a little something to your kitchen design.
11. Headboard
image via 1001 Pallets
The bedroom is one area that might be overlooked when looking for pallet furniture ideas, but this headboard is here to change that! Many people have moved away from the headboard, but they can be such a statement piece in a room.
You can paint and design your headboard with pallets in any color scheme or theme to match the rest of your room. You’ll be impressed with how amazing your room looks, thanks to these recycled pallets.
12. Hanger Art
image via avso.org
You may be overlooking the different aspects of what your new found pallets can do for your home, but this project is simple and adds a whimsical touch to your home. You can paint the pallet, attach hooks to the planks, and then hang it up on your wall.
This can add a lovely splash of color wherever you decide, and is functional in keeping your coats and sweaters from hanging on the back your dining room chairs.
13. Planter Table
image via Ana White
One of the most common pallet furniture projects has to be the good ole fashioned table. You can spend hours upon hours looking at basically the same pallet table (with a slight tweak or two) all over the web.
Why not step it up a notch, and create a unique table with an interesting feature?
With this project, you’re creating a table with a small planter in the middle section. The beauty of this is that it’s filled with succulents, which is a great type of plant to use since they don’t require as much water as other houseplants.
14. Garden Bench
image via R.K. Black, Inc.
You’ve worked hard to get your yard looking amazing, so why not create a fun space to sit on to enjoy it? A garden bench is a great outdoor pallet furniture creation.
You can make it the perfect size for your yard or patio. Now you’re probably thinking, “Sitting on a pallet doesn’t exactly sound very comfortable for reading or relaxing.” Just add a nice cushion to your DIY efforts to give it that comfortable touch.
15. Bed Tray
image via WooHome
Breakfast in bed will never be the same again! You can create your very own bed tray with wood pallets. This can be customized to be as big or as little as you’d like.
You can even paint it how you’d like, and make the legs as tall or short as you need them. Working in bed is another option with this fun pallet project (but only if you must!).
16. Magazine Rack
image via Pallet Furniture DIY
You probably get plenty of DIY magazines that feed your DIY ingenuity and lifestyle, but you’re probably left wondering where you’d going to store all of those magazines?
A pallet magazine rack is a perfect solution to this question. You can create a magazine rack that can be hung on the wall or sit in your living room next to your couch.
17. Pet Furniture
image via Goods Home Design
Your pet deserves a great place to rest at the end of the day, and unless they have their own space, they’ll take over your bed. Why not create your own pallet pet bed?
You can create the frame for the bed using a pallet or two depending on the size of the animal, and then create a mattress that fits inside it perfectly. They’ll be pretty grateful for their new comfy place to sleep, and probably will reward you with some kisses.
18. Pallet Desk
image via 101 Pallets
These days, it is not uncommon to work from home. If you have school-age children, they also need to place to do their homework and access a computer for school projects, etc.
This pallet desk provides an extremely attractive work space that can take a beating and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. There is an opening for storing a keyboard or other items, as well as two drawers for the all of your loose odd n’ ends.
Feel free to follow the beautiful tabletop design, or create your own unique pattern using different size pallet boards.
19. Pallet Room Divider
image via Wooden Pallet Furniture
Pallets can be a great way to divide up a larger space for multiple uses. Two kids sharing a large bedroom? Create and use a room divider that can be moved out of the way when they need the whole space, but also offers privacy when they need it.
Or, may you need to separate your office space from the rest of your living space. The ideas of how you can use these dividers are endless.
20. Pallet Swing
image via Instructables
You’ll love being able to enjoy the outdoors on your new pallet swing. You can make it into a full, traditional porch swing, a chair swing, or more of a hanging bed swing. This will be perfect for adults and kids alike.
21. Spice Rack
image via Clever Creatures
Tired of having to dig into the back of your cabinet to find your oregano, cinnamon, or season salt? Create a spice rack using a pallet that you can hang up on the wall.
You’ll be able to display all your spices at once, and be able to know what spices you need to replace with just a quick glance.
22. Jewelry Box
image via Rusted Creek on Etsy
Unorganized jewelry can be an absolute mess. Pallets can make an amazing hanging jewelry box that you could personalize with little hooks, drawers, and maybe even add a mirror to it.
Mother’s day, birthdays, and other gift giving holidays can use a special touch like this jewelry box.
23. Storage Shed
image via 1001 Pallets
Go big or go home, right? Now, this last idea may not exactly be furniture, but it helps to illustrate the versatility of pallets.
image via 1001 Pallets
You can create your very own storage shed in the backyard with a bit of ambition and a large load of outdoor pallets.
These pallet furniture ideas should get the ball rolling on all the amazing things that you can do with materials that are often thrown to the wayside by non-DIYers that don’t see the potential. All at a fraction of the cost of what you’d pay for store-bought furniture.
Start small with an upcycled wine rack that’s sure to get your guests talking or go big with a storage shed created purely from pallets. The sky’s the limit when it comes to what you can do with pallets!
