Recycled Furniture from Middle East Rugs and Doors

"upcycled rug chair"Recycled furniture by Israeli designer Naama Futerman. She gives disposed objects a second life.

If all the products that we ever used or came into contact with only had a “Chapter One”, our landfills would be overflowing.  Thankfully there are people out there, such as Tel Aviv-based designer Naama Futerman, who help give discarded objects what she calls a “Chapter Two” – a second chance to be useful.  Scouring the streets of Tel Aviv for other people’s “junk”, Futerman uses objects such as old carpets and unwanted wooden doors to create interesting pieces of furniture.

Her seemingly antique throne chair, pictured above, is made out of the remains of a carpet that someone tossed out in favor of a more modern look.

"upcycled door furniture template"Of her work process, Futerman writes that “initially I decided to explore my surroundings and search for disposed objects as the base materials for my work.  I was wandering around the city, visiting construction sites and peeking into containers.”

“In my expedition,” she continues, “I discovered that people throw away objects not only because they are broken or damaged but also because of the desire to renew their environment.  These, I thought, were wonderful working materials.”

"upcycled door table"In Futerman’s creative hands, the white door in perfectly good condition above (or, white door “Chapter One”) became the great little white coffee table seen here.

Maybe “Chapter Two” is even better than “Chapter One”?

:: DesignBreak

Read more about other creative upcyclers:
Meet Inbal Limor Who is Upcycling Jaffa’s Junk Into Art
“New Dress a Day” Blog Takes Consumerism Out of the Fresh Fashion Equation
Tel Aviv’s Junktion Studio Keeps Inspiring Us to Rethink Our Junk

Karen Chernick
Karen Chernickhttps://www.greenprophet.com/
Much to the disappointment of her Moroccan grandmother, Karen became a vegetarian at the age of seven because of a heartfelt respect for other forms of life. She also began her journey to understand her surroundings and her impact on the environment. She even starting an elementary school Ecology Club and an environmental newsletter in the 3rd grade. (The proceeds of the newsletter went to non-profit environmental organizations, of course.) She now studies in New York. Karen can be reached at karen (at) greenprophet (dot) com.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

TRENDING

Quintin Tarantino walks on a bike lane in Tel Aviv

Quentin Tarantino lives in Israel now, quietly blending into Tel Aviv life (which is pretty loud and late night!) — until Tel Aviv, of course, notices him.

All 13 Tel Aviv Beaches Reawarded the Prestigious ‘Blue Flag’ for 2025

Reaffirming its leadership in sustainable coastal management, all 13 of Tel Aviv-Yafo’s public beaches have once again earned the prestigious Blue Flag certification for 2025. This honor, awarded by the International Blue Flag Committee and the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), recognizes beaches that meet exceptional standards in water quality, safety, accessibility, and environmental education.

Tel Aviv’s mayor Huldai is taking smart phones from schools – his irony in education

Waldorf schools, created by Austria's Rudolph Steiner, are the fastest-growing school system in Israel because of their focus on arts and crafts and their avoidance of technology in the classroom. It’s ironic that Huldai is being praised for pushing a tech-free school environment while his administration shattered a community that has been practicing this philosophy for over a decade.

Tel Aviv is giving away free fruit trees to turn the city into an urban edible forest

Orange trees are everywhere in Jaffa. So are grapes, loquats, and olives. The city is giving away free fruit trees so the entire city will be an edible urban forest

Wave power collector opens at ancient port city on the Mediterranean

Developed by the company Eco Wave Power, the station was built in collaboration with EDF Renewables. The power station is recognized as “pioneering technology” by the Ministry of Energy.  For the first time, electricity generated from sea waves will power the country's national grid—a historic milestone in the country’s renewable energy progress. 

Qatar’s climate hypocrisy rides the London Underground

Qatar remains a master of doublethink—burning gas by the megaton while selling “sustainability” to a world desperate for clean air. Wake up from your slumber people.

How Quality of Hire Shapes Modern Recruitment

A 2024 survey by Deloitte found that 76% of talent leaders now consider long-term retention and workforce contribution among their most important hiring success metrics—far surpassing time-to-fill or cost-per-hire. As the expectations for new hires deepen, companies must also confront the inherent challenges in redefining and accurately measuring hiring quality.

8 Team-Building Exercises to Start the Week Off 

Team building to change the world! The best renewable energy companies are ones that function.

Thank you, LinkedIn — and what your Jobs on the Rise report means for sustainable careers

While “green jobs” aren’t always labeled as such, many of the fastest-growing roles are directly enabling the energy transition, climate resilience, and lower-carbon systems: Number one on their list is Artificial Intelligence engineers. But what does that mean? Vibe coding Claude? 

Somali pirates steal oil tankers

The pirates often stage their heists out of Somalia, a lawless country, with a weak central government that is grappling with a violent Islamist insurgency. Using speedboats that swarm the targets, the machine-gun-toting pirates take control of merchant ships and then hold the vessels, crew and cargo for ransom.

Leopoldo Alejandro Betancourt López Turned Ocean Plastic Into Profitable Sunglasses

Few fashion accessories carry the environmental burden of sunglasses. Most frames are constructed from petroleum-based plastics and acrylic polymers that linger in landfills for centuries, shedding microplastics into soil and waterways long after they've been discarded. Leopoldo Alejandro Betancourt López, president of the Spanish eyewear brand Hawkers, saw this problem differently than most industry executives.

Why Dr. Tony Jacob Sees Texas Business Egos as Warning Signs

Everything's bigger in Texas. Except business egos.  Dr. Tony Jacob figured...

Israel and America Sign Renewable Energy Cooperation Deal

Other announcements made at the conference include the Timna Renewable Energy Park, which will be a center for R&D, and the AORA Solar Thermal Module at Kibbutz Samar, the world's first commercial hybrid solar gas-turbine power plant that is already nearing completion. Solel Solar Systems announced it was beginning construction of a 50 MW solar field in Lebrija, Spain, and Brightsource Energy made a pre-conference announcement that it had inked the world's largest solar deal to date with Southern California Edison (SCE).

Related Articles

Popular Categories