Recycled pieces for your home

Style your home with products made with second life materials for guilt-free interiors updates

Getting your shopping fix can feel very different when our responsibility towards the environment necessitates a lot of research. Embracing products that incorporate recycled plastic and other materials can be a way to buy new, but with a less harmful environmental impact. Here are some practical and pretty pieces to invest in.

Glassware with history

Urban Nature Culture recycled glass vases are statement pieces in their own right. The pink one below is available from Brown Thomas for €14.40. For practical needs, head online to Zara Home for glass bathroom accessories like this smoky glass bathroom set, and turn to H&M for recycled glass kitchen items like jugs and bowls.

A new light

Kopper Kreation gives new life to salvaged copper plumbing pipe to create lamps, candelabras and more with a geometric, industrial style. The lamp has a dimmer so you can adjust its warm glow. Alternatively, Eoin Shanley of Copper Fish Studios is based in Co. Wicklow and creates lamps from copper and wood. The base of the lamp below was made from a storm fallen old Irish beech tree.

IKEA’s sustainable picks

IKEA has a selection of homewares made using recycled PET bottles, including the fun TROLLBO lamp (€19), the colourful URSKOG rug, (€35) and cosy TOFTLUND ‘sheepskin’ rug (€10). The ODGER chair (€80) is made from 30% renewable wood and at least 55% of its remaining materials are recycled plastic. Sustainability is one of the key principles of IKEA design, with a commitment to make all IKEA products and packaging from renewable and recyclable materials by 2030.

Home office decor

The shell of this chair available from April & The Bear is made out of upcycled PET bottles that are saved from landfills in China. Every chair contains up to 60 to 100 PET bottles. The chair, frame included, is 100% recyclable and renewable. For some inspiration, the Little Women Big Ideas print by Rachel Corcoran depicts incredible women who made a difference in the world.

Rest easy with ethical bedding

You can get duvets and pillows that are environmentally-friendly. Arnotts stock the Nimbus Smartdown range, which is made using silky soft fibres made from recycled PET plastic bottles. As for comfort, it still has that goosefeather feel. A pioneering fibre-blowing technique has created comforting down-like clusters which mimics the behaviour of down, whilst a loose cassette structure holds volume, trapping air and warmth. Choosing a double duvet with this fill rather than synthetic fill will save 100 PET bottles from ending up in landfill. Nimbus research says that this would save 6.4 cubic metres of landfill space. Using these fibres rather than producing virgin fibres saves enough energy to power a 60 watt bulb for 25 nights. The Fine Bedding Co Eco-duvet, available at Home Focus at Hickeys (from €89), is made in a factory using 100% renewable energy, and again from PET bottles. 125 PET bottles make the 10.5 tog duvet, and the hypoallergenic cover is also made with 100% recycled materials. Marks and Spencer’s Margot sausage dog bedding set (from €24) is made from recycled polyesther and eco-friendly cotton. For a cosy finishing touch, Oliver Bonas stocks a recycled cotton and recycled plastic throw in a geometric pattern (€31.50).