Book Review: Upcycle – Transform Everyday Objects into Stylish Sustainable Home Decor

upcycled furniture

If you’re passionate about upcycled home decor, eco-friendly crafts, or simply love giving old items a new life, Upcycle: 24 Sustainable DIY Projects to Turn Everyday Objects into Home Decor is a book that’s sure to spark your creativity.

This beautifully designed book is a treasure trove of clever ideas for turning the mundane into the magical. From old T-shirts and tin cans to wooden crates and glass bottles, Upcycle offers 24 hands-on projects that are equal parts stylish and sustainable. Whether you’re a seasoned maker or just starting your upcycling journey, the instructions are clear, accessible, and often surprisingly simple.

What I love most is that each project doesn’t feel like a “craft”—it feels like decor you’d proudly display in any modern home. Think chic recycled storage solutions, creative lighting with a handmade twist, and even repurposed wall art that doesn’t scream DIY. The photography is gorgeous, making this book just as inspiring as it is instructional.

It’s a great resource for zero-waste living, creative reuse, and recycled crafts for the home—perfect for crafters who want to make a positive environmental impact without sacrificing style. Plus, most of the materials can be found right at home or sourced for free, making it a budget-friendly way to refresh your space.

If you’ve ever looked at an empty jar or an old ladder and thought, “What could I make with this?”—this book will give you the answers.

Upcycle is perfect for anyone looking to reduce waste while creating beautiful, functional items. It’s ideal for eco-conscious decorators, DIY enthusiasts, and creative souls who love a good before-and-after. If you’re on the hunt for inspiring sustainable crafting projects, this book is definitely worth a spot on your shelf (or coffee table!).

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Knitwear designers can get inspiration from almost anything when it comes to re-creating a color scheme, an image or a texture in stitches. Sometimes the inspiration isn’t always obvious in the finished project, but sometimes it’s more literal.

That’s the way it is with the Tin Ceiling Blanket from Purl Soho. Not just because the inspiration is in the name, but if you’ve ever seen one of these old ceilings you can see that the design of the blanket is quite similar to the pattern of the tin tiles.

This is also a good example of the idea that you don’t have to use fancy stitch patterns or lots of color to make a big impact with your knits. This single-color blanket (designed by Gianna Mueller and inspired by a washcloth and towel set designed by Sandi Rosner) is made completely with knits and purls, other than slipped stitches at the beginning of rows to make neater edges.

The pattern is written out row by row, but there’s also a chart, which means this project is a great opportunity to practice reading a chart where you can check your work against the written pattern if you need to.

It comes in two sizes, a crib blanket and a throw. The yarn used in the sample is an organic cotton sold by the cone, which is a great way to get a large quantity of yarn and have fewer ends to weave in. In fact, you can knit either size of the blanket with just one cone of yarn, which isn’t inexpensive but makes you a great, sturdy, heirloom quality but still washable blanket you’ll use for years to come. (Of course you can use any sport weight yarn you like to make this blanket.)

Check out all the details and grab the free pattern from Purl Soho.

[Photo: Purl Soho]

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