The pair of artists who make up Unite Two Designs create furnishings from reclaimed industrial & construction materials. This wine rack is made from a chunk of a wooden beam from an 1800s house and a slice of metal drain pipe. Perfectly counterbalanced, it will hold your wine bottles like it was never meant to do anything else.

The Swiss have an enviable record of environmental efforts. Leaders of recycling, reuse & reduction initiatives, it’s among the cleanest countries in the world. No surprise upcycling has made its way into Swiss design studios. This windbreaker is constructed from 2 different colors of decommissioned Swiss parachute fabric and other surplus materials. Limited edition of 100 pieces.

This thing is a total hosebag. Had to say it. England’s Elvis & Kresse built this burly little dopp kit out of decommissioned British firehose. Indestructible & waterproof, this heavy-duty bag is perfect for all your mangrooming products with 50% of the proceeds from your purchase going to a firefighter support charity.

So you decided to spend a bit more and chose the wireless bluetooth Mac keyboard. You were probably thinking wireless was more convenient and cleaner. Well, not when you’re throwing its dead AA batteries in the trash every three weeks. The Mobee Magic bar lets you correct your wireless mistake by providing a USB-powered recharge dock for your keyboard. This design actually is convenient and clean. Just look at it.

Part of their Rescued & Reused series, the craftsmen at Railyard Studios upcycle old railroad junk into functional objets d’art. Their wine rack is made from a railroad tie dated 1925, 16 pieces of rail from the Tennessee Coal, Iron & Railroad Company circa 1908; and it stands on feet made from two switch plate cuffs. The piece is warmly finished with a Golden Oak stain and poly sealer. Oh yes, it’s American made.

What to do with used wine corks? Renowned designer, Reza Feiz at Los Angeles-based Phase Design came up with a couple cool ideas. His Life After Corkage ottoman and stool recycle used wine corks into designer furnishings. Each piece keeps 2500 corks out of the landfill and gives them a new life in your home.

Yard work gathers mountains of leaves and mower clippings that you really ought to be composting. Make it easy on yourself (and your helpers) with Dsolv compostable yard waste bags. Fill these 45-gallon mesh bags with yard waste and throw ‘em on the compost heap. Made of a vegetable-based polymer, the bags will break down quickly on their own.

You might have to define “upcycling” when people ask about your messenger bag. But that’s cool. It means taking a discarded product and giving it a new life. This bag uses salvaged hardware and recycled leather to create a totally new carry-all.  It’s got all the features you need in a messenger bag: zip & Velcro outer pockets, adjustable shoulder strap, etc., and each bag is handmade to order.

The young designers at Hamburg, Germany’s Lockengelöt studios are turning used 50-gallon oil drums into unique, industrial-strength “cupboards.” The drums are cleaned out, reinforced, and fitted with shelves & a door. The drums are also stackable, if you need more than 50-gallons of storage space.

Only a smoker feels an intimate connection to their lighter. When you smoke your lighter is your right hand, your old flame. So why not treat your little fire-starter to a new outfit? Using aluminum cans, Fuego Con Queso makes fully up-cycled lighter cases featuring the can art of your favorite drinks. They’re handmade in America and are available in a wide variety of designs, including your custom submissions.