Recycled Wine Barrel Furniture

Some people drink a lot of wine, some people collect furniture.

Other people have managed to perfectly merge these two passions in a clever way.

Recycled wine barrel furniture is an eco-friendly and attractive way to make use of all those used oak wine barrels left behind by the thousands of wineries worldwide. These pieces are simple, sturdy, attractive and real attention grabbers, so they're a worthwhile project to get behind.

This article is all about the recycled wine barrel furniture creations out there. We will showcase a few examples of well done used wine barrel furniture, and talk about what it takes to find, buy and transform these things into useful elements in your home. We'll also mention a few of the potential drawbacks.

Let's begin!

There are a few great reasons why you might want to choose to build furniture out of recycled wine barrels instead of out of other, newer materials. First, there is the cool factor that can't be denied. Wine culture is huge, and most people, if not obsessed, have at least a passing appreciation for the sophistication and elegance of a fine wine. Recycled wine barrel furniture will serve as a reminder of that culture, boosting your cool points in a major way.

Secondly, it's a darned practical thing to do! Wine barrels are typically made of oak, a strong and expensive wood in its own right. Rather that toss them, it makes sense to make a second use of them, especially since structurally speaking there's usually nothing wrong with them even after the wine has aged.

Third, the shape and materials of used wine barrels makes them ideal for cool, unique and even eccentric projects for your home. There is almost no end to the cool uses for these items. From the kitchen to the cellar to the garden, from storage to showroom, these things have a plethora of uses. (Note the extremely cool used wine barrel bathroom sink concept above)

There are a number of things you can take advantage with when crafting your used wine barrel furniture creation. First, note the shape of the barrels. The curvature of the wooden slats in there should inspire a few different furniture concepts: chair legs pops to mind. You can cut the things in halves or quarters and use them as storage units or garden planters. You can even keep them whole, opting for use as a side table.

Next, you should be aware of the potential of used wine barrel furniture as modular, component pieces. The barrels can be stripped apart, and the pieces used in other projects. The metal banding and the wooden planks could be used in any sort of upcycling project you come up with. The wood has that nice rustic charm to it, so be creative.

Think outside the box and try to imagine a use for the used wine barrels or a section of the barrels. The more outrageous the usage, the more it will make a positive impression, believe me.

You might have a few difficulties, so I had better mention the possible complications involved in creating used wine barrel furniture. First, while the barrels have that cool rough, unfinished charm to them, they also have a rough, jagged, potentially splinter-ridden negativity to them. They are not finished at the outset (at least by furniture standards) so expect to have to do some sanding and fitting to get them just right.

Secondly, used wine barrels are pretty large, so they aren't the easiest things to tote around and work with. You'd better have a plan for storage and transport if you plan to purchase a few of these babies. (They are heavy too!)

Lastly, used wine barrel furniture suffers from the original usage of the barrels themselves: they are stained on the inside and they will smell heavily of alcohol at first. You can let them air out and try sanding the inside if you want to be rid of this, but you can also embrace it.

Good luck!