Hey, you know barrels of oil that look beat up and dirty? Turns out they can be cleaned and upcycled to make pretty funky industrial furniture.
Whether or not industrial design is your cup of tea, enough people love it that the unique furniture can go for quite the pretty penny.
Mixing metals with leather, copper, and exposed wood, you achieve a uniquely modern design effect, the perfect space for an upcycler to play.
Small Oil Drum Coffee Table
Over on Etsy, Lockengeloet Hamburg tries to “put the ordinary in an unfamiliar context” by making high-quality furniture that surprises and shocks.
Crafting a small oil drum into a custom coffee table, the German company cut openings into the sides to create perfect shelf windows, then painted the whole thing white so it felt modern and clean.
Oil Drum Side Table With Shelves
Another stunning upcycle, Lockengeloet Hamburg bats another home run with their teal oil drum nightstand . Installing a door into the curved side, pulling on the handle reveals two interior shelves, perfect for storing books beside the bed.
Chair and Ottoman Set
Another Etsy find, L’atelier du bidon makes extremely high-end furniture that celebrates the natural quality of un-painted steel while mixing it with modern design techniques.
Specializing in upcycled oil drums, these oil chairs go for $889 each, using real leather and hand-painted finishings.
Though I admit the design is really cool, the DIYer in me wonders why you couldn’t make your own version for a lot less money!
Custom Oil Drum Cat Bed
Now this one sold me almost instantly. Granted, industrial furniture doesn’t blend in with every home’s design. It tends to be a bit of an “all or nothing” style that looks great if you go all in but sticks out like a sore thumb if you don’t fully commit.
Definitely an example of going all in, this cat looks like it’s living the absolute dream life in this industrial-themed house.
Crushed Can Ottoman
Finally, here’s where the controversy sets in: where is the line between furniture and trash? As one Reddit user says , “the more I look at it the less I hate it” and I’m going to have to agree.
Imagining this in a room with natural wood, leather furniture, and exposed red brick, the ottoman would absolutely pop. But place the same stool in almost any other situation and well… you may hear a few complaints.
Would you put one in your house?
What do you think about oil drum upcycles? Does the industrial flavor suit your tastes? Or should the trash stay outside with the rest of the metal junk? Let us know in the comments below!
