Upcycle Project: Laundry Hamper

Upcycle Project: Progress

For the first Aesthetics and Design Project: Upcycle, I brainstormed several ideas of functional things which I need.  The creation of a laundry hamper was the first idea which inspired me, and I have chosen it after finding a free table thanks to craigslist.  The aesthetic which the project will focus on is the aesthetics of Apple, which I posted for the first assignment.

Idea

My room is very small, and after re-organizing my closet over break, I still barely have room for all of my shoes…

One small space next to my dresser and closet is perfect for a laundry hamper, however the space is so constrained that purchasing a laundry hamper is out of the question because it would block access to my closet.  Building a sleek, small laundry hamper is an ideal solution.

Materials

Originally, I was contemplating of using scrap wood, or wood pallets.  The two issues I thought of for the project were:

1. Upcycling, or recycling materials for anything doesn’t always create a pleasing aesthetic of something that I would want in my home, but can rather look just like re-purposed junk.
2. Scrap wood would need lots of sanding and refinishing in order to not snag and ruin my clothes.

I looked for other materials, like scrap metal, and found a wood top table with metal legs.  From the table, I started to design how the laundry hamper would look.

Design

The design will used the table fully, by flipping the table over and cutting down the table top to the footprint of the space.  This will add stability to the hamper which will be tall with respect to the width of the base, and is necessary to prevent tipping.  The legs will then be formed and shaped to be the hamper sides and support a laundry bag.

Completed:

Measurements of the space were taken.  The space is 9″x 16″

Challenges include:

-The base of the legs are larger than the space.

-Re-forming the legs into the desired shape.

Action Items:

-Disassemble the table

-Cut the table top in to the foot print of the space for the base

-Determine how the legs need to be repositioned in order to re-attach to a smaller area

-Drill holes for the legs

-Check the re-assembly works

-Sand and paint the base

-Re-form the legs

-Re-finish the legs if necessary

-Re-attach the legs to the base

-Find or make a laundry bag

Aesthetic

Since the Apple aesthetic is defined by sleek, smooth, high quality materials, and rounded edges in a minimalist design, I plan to keep the slender metal legs silver and shape them into a shape similar to an iPhone.  The base will be sanded and painted in a rose gold color, since that is my new favorite Apple color.