Berlin’s WesternTrash Finds Home Decorating Ideas In The Garbage Can

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By Beth Buczynski

Looking for home decorating ideas? You might not think to rummage through the trash. But that’s where Berlin-based WesternTrash finds 100 percent of the materials for designer glassware and light fixtures.

Spring is on the way, and before we know it, summer will be hanging around. If you’re looking for some eco-friendly furnishings to spruce up your kitchen or outdoor entertaining areas, a new start-up out of Berlin, Germany might be worth a peek.

WesternTrash is a designer lighting and glassware company operating under the motto “Something out of nothing.” Although the gorgeous glasses, carafes, vases, and pendant light fixtures they produce rival the wares of any boutique studio, there’s something that makes WesternTrash unique: the raw materials for their products come directly from the streets outside their door.

“Every WesternTrash item is handcrafted with care and precision, explain the designers. “We source recycled bottles from some best Berlin restaurants, carefully selecting our glass by size, color and quality.”

First, the discarded bottles are soaked to remove any labels, then cut to size with a diamond saw. The cut edge is ground until smooth and consistent. Each product is then triple-polished for a brilliant shine, then sandblasted with the company’s logo, the WesternTrash Star (symbolizing a broken window from one of Kreuzberg’s frequent riots). Finally the glass pieces are put through an industrial-grade dishwasher, so they’re ready to face the world–and your kitchen. The finished product is packaged by hand in unbranded, reusable boxes.

“Our handmade glasses pay homage to the defiant spirit of Berlin’s most vibrant district. Think differently and follow your own path – that’s the WesternTrash philosophy,” the designers said.

There’s something especially beguiling about the sleek simplicity of WesternTrash products. They’re unique, yet classic enough to fit in with many different home decorating ideas.

Here are some of our favorites. Use them to inspire your own upcycled home decorating ideas!

The Festi Carafe (pictured with glass) – Easy to hold and easy to pour, this is the ideal jug for casual parties or communal meals on a warm summer day.

Dahme Vase – With a deep green tint to complement any flower or plant, this vase will impress your guests and add some serious wow-factor to your floral arrangements.

Burgundi Pendant Lamp – Burgundi lives in design studios, coworking offices and the homes of inspired people. Edgy and expressive, it’s the kind of lamp that illuminates creative spaces.

Bordo Pendant Lamp – Bordo’s neutral shape and soft curves will make friends with any interior design. Crafted from a reclaimed bottle, it’s equally at home in a city apartment, bohemian cafe, or rustic old house in the countryside.

Related on Ecosalon

Upcycled Fashion Explores Designer Imagination

Glass Not Dismissed!

Freitag: Creating Sustainable & Upcycled Bags That RIP

Images via WesternTrash

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Interweb Finds: Traveling with mannequins, a bird’s-eye view & more

If you could sum up your week with one word, what word would that be? Mine would be smoothies.

John and I have gotten into a bit of a smoothie craze this week, making everything from breakfast smoothies to post-run smoothies to adult smoothies. You could say my spring break from grad school has been one of the very best.

Other highlights from this week? Spending some time in San Diego, visiting the old abandoned Griffith Park Zoo (pictured above), and making good use of my Groupon at the local yoga studio. Tomorrow, it’s back to school (and back to reality!) for the last month-and-a-half of the semester.

Here are some of this week’s top web finds for your reading pleasure:

An artist was tired of always being asked why she wasn’t married, so she made up a mannequin family, traveled the world & documented it… for 14 years.

I don’t know which I love more—this San Francisco house tour or this Portland house tour.

An incredible video of a flying eagle’s point of view. It doesn’t hurt that this eagle’s home is stunningly beautiful.

Hannah Brencher’s words give me chills with every. Single. Post. Her take on bravery—and how it’s defined differently for each and every one of us—truly moved me.

One dog takes great joy in misbehaving when his owner isn’t home, and his owner captured it on video—which is predictably hilarious and adorable.

And if you’re not into dog videos, too bad. One magician does a disappearing act for dogs, and their reactions are priceless.

This list of 84 things to do in L.A. makes me realize I have a LOT of exploring to do!

When I visited the Great Sand Dunes in Colorado, I was mesmerized by how far sound traveled. (You could hear other people’s quiet conversations from a hundred yards away.) Which is why I think these acoustic wonders of the world are fascinating.

That’s all for this week’s interweb finds! I’ll see you Tuesday with some thoughts on the meanings behind dreams.

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View the original article here

Interweb Finds: Traveling with mannequins, a bird’s-eye view & more

If you could sum up your week with one word, what word would that be? Mine would be smoothies.

John and I have gotten into a bit of a smoothie craze this week, making everything from breakfast smoothies to post-run smoothies to adult smoothies. You could say my spring break from grad school has been one of the very best.

Other highlights from this week? Spending some time in San Diego, visiting the old abandoned Griffith Park Zoo (pictured above), and making good use of my Groupon at the local yoga studio. Tomorrow, it’s back to school (and back to reality!) for the last month-and-a-half of the semester.

Here are some of this week’s top web finds for your reading pleasure:

An artist was tired of always being asked why she wasn’t married, so she made up a mannequin family, traveled the world & documented it… for 14 years.

I don’t know which I love more—this San Francisco house tour or this Portland house tour.

An incredible video of a flying eagle’s point of view. It doesn’t hurt that this eagle’s home is stunningly beautiful.

Hannah Brencher’s words give me chills with every. Single. Post. Her take on bravery—and how it’s defined differently for each and every one of us—truly moved me.

One dog takes great joy in misbehaving when his owner isn’t home, and his owner captured it on video—which is predictably hilarious and adorable.

And if you’re not into dog videos, too bad. One magician does a disappearing act for dogs, and their reactions are priceless.

This list of 84 things to do in L.A. makes me realize I have a LOT of exploring to do!

When I visited the Great Sand Dunes in Colorado, I was mesmerized by how far sound traveled. (You could hear other people’s quiet conversations from a hundred yards away.) Which is why I think these acoustic wonders of the world are fascinating.

That’s all for this week’s interweb finds! I’ll see you Tuesday with some thoughts on the meanings behind dreams.

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View the original article here

Interweb Finds: Traveling with mannequins, a bird’s-eye view & more

If you could sum up your week with one word, what word would that be? Mine would be smoothies.

John and I have gotten into a bit of a smoothie craze this week, making everything from breakfast smoothies to post-run smoothies to adult smoothies. You could say my spring break from grad school has been one of the very best.

Other highlights from this week? Spending some time in San Diego, visiting the old abandoned Griffith Park Zoo (pictured above), and making good use of my Groupon at the local yoga studio. Tomorrow, it’s back to school (and back to reality!) for the last month-and-a-half of the semester.

Here are some of this week’s top web finds for your reading pleasure:

An artist was tired of always being asked why she wasn’t married, so she made up a mannequin family, traveled the world & documented it… for 14 years.

I don’t know which I love more—this San Francisco house tour or this Portland house tour.

An incredible video of a flying eagle’s point of view. It doesn’t hurt that this eagle’s home is stunningly beautiful.

Hannah Brencher’s words give me chills with every. Single. Post. Her take on bravery—and how it’s defined differently for each and every one of us—truly moved me.

One dog takes great joy in misbehaving when his owner isn’t home, and his owner captured it on video—which is predictably hilarious and adorable.

And if you’re not into dog videos, too bad. One magician does a disappearing act for dogs, and their reactions are priceless.

This list of 84 things to do in L.A. makes me realize I have a LOT of exploring to do!

When I visited the Great Sand Dunes in Colorado, I was mesmerized by how far sound traveled. (You could hear other people’s quiet conversations from a hundred yards away.) Which is why I think these acoustic wonders of the world are fascinating.

That’s all for this week’s interweb finds! I’ll see you Tuesday with some thoughts on the meanings behind dreams.

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View the original article here

Interweb Finds: Killer confidence, the music of trees & more

A monster avocado from the tree outside our window.

What was your favorite thing you did this week?

Mine was that I followed my own advice from my blog post earlier this week and removed myself from the computer. After meeting two of my good friends from school for an early brunch at KTCHN DTLA yesterday (so good), I realized it was absolutely gorgeous outside and that it would be sinful not to take advantage of the weather. So I changed into a pretty dress, and John and I went for a long walk along Sunset Boulevard, window shopping along the way. By the time we got home, my feet were pretty sore and I didn’t even mind. It was just what I needed.

Here are my latest favorite interweb finds:

I wrote a guest post for the lovely and talented Latrina at Of Trees and Hues about moving to California and thriving while taking big leaps.

More advice on writing an ebook that sells.

The Scar Project by photographer David Jay is one of the most moving projects I’ve come across in a long time. These (NSFW) photos depict young women who have battled breast cancer and bravely bare their scars to the camera. There’s such a range of emotions in each of these women’s faces, and I was brought to tears more than once.

Geeky and genius. A recreation of the Jurassic Park computer system.

If trees could sing, what would they sound like? This awesome video shows how tree rings were interpreted as musical notes and then played on a record player.

Whether you’re struggling with your self-image, feeling a little helpless or just having a rough week, Claire’s free guide to killer confidence is a thoughtful, helpful and loving resource to get back on track.

I love this idea: micro cottages for the homeless.

That’s all for today! What are you looking forward to in the next week? Me—spring break is right around the corner.

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