Post 2- 2025 : What is your Upcycling project? What is the aesthetic and why?

Upcycle Project Aesthetic – Earthcore/Recycling/Granola

For my upcycle project I have decided to try and repurpose waste produced by many people every day including me, empty cans. I plan to take empty soda, tea and beer cans and repurpose them into planters for small plants such as succulents or cacti. The granola or earth core aesthetic will be the guiding…

Japanese Stationery Aesthetic in Tool Design: Watchmaker’s Screwdriver Stand

  For my project, I’ve chosen to create something I’ve long wanted to make: a watchmaker’s screwdriver stand. This project finally gives me the perfect excuse to invest time into not only making it highly functional but also aesthetically refined. Recently, I’ve picked up the hobby of watchmaking, which involves the repair and servicing of…

Upcycled Mirror Project

My upcycle project is a set of powered vehicle fender mirrors, designed with inspiration from the sleek, classic aesthetics of the 1960s and 1970s. These decades were known for their distinct automotive styling, where form and function blended seamlessly into striking designs. I want to capture that same essence while integrating modern functionality through powered…

The Accidental Scandi: How a Dusty Lamp Turned Me into an Interior Design Enthusiast!

I am someone who gets bored of things way too fast.Seriously, if my attention span were a person, it would be that friend who leaves a party after 15 minutes. For my last aesthetic exploration, I went all in on Kolam Aesthetic—introducing something new to people here through my blog. But now?!Moving on. Sticking to…

Disposable Water Bottle Lantern: Club/Rave Aesthetic

The upcycling project that I will be constructing is “lanterns” made out of plastic disposable water bottles and different colored lights to follow the club or rave aesthetic. The club aesthetic that will be achieved through this project makes people feel high energy and party vibes through its’ bold contrasts, different colors of lights, and…

Recycled Terrarium Project

  [1] https://www.shaverscreek.org/2020/04/08/create-your-own-mini-ecosystem-at-home/For my Upcycle project, I have chosen an earth core aesthetic, but am looking into “solarpunk” which draws inspiration from the natural world and its ability to reclaim human-made objects over time. I believe this aesthetic aligns perfectly with the use of recycled materials and complements the vision I have for my project.…

Shou Sugi Ban and the Wabi-Sabi Aesthetic – Wall Decor

For an upcycling project, I decided to go with a Japanese Wabi-Sabi Aesthetic by using the Shou Sugi Ban wood-burning technique. Wabi-Sabi is the Japanese art of impermanence. “Wabi,” meaning less is more, and “Sabi” meaning attentive melancholy, describes an emphasis on nature and the awareness of pleasure in things that are not permanent. In…

Upcycled Plastic Pointilism

For my upcycling project I will be creating a piece using Pointillism, a technique that is a part of the broader Neo-impressionist movement and aesthetic. Neo-Impressionism was a movement in French painting during the late 19th century that reacted against the empirical realism of impressionism, relying on scientific theories of color to achieve visual effects…

Cyberpunk Meets Sustainability: Upcycling to Create a Futuristic Looking Chairless Chair

For my upcycling project, I will create a cyberpunk-inspired “chairless chair” using only freely available materials. A chairless chair is an exoskeleton-like device that straps to the user’s lower body, allowing them to sit anywhere. When not in use, it remains attached to the waist, enabling free movement. The concept of a chairless chair was…

Upcycled Cacao Pod-Inspired Chocolate Packaging

The aesthetic that I will base my project on is Wabi-Sabi—a natural and minimalistic philosophy that captures the essence of what I want to communicate. For this project, I want to design packaging for a luxury chocolate brand that embodies authenticity, imperfection, and deep respect for nature. My inspiration for this project came from an…

Wearable Pop Art – Modern fashion meets bold aesthetic

Featured Image: Andy Warhol, Shot Sage Blue Marilyn (1964)   To give a brief overview: This upcycled project will focus on using recycled, eco-friendly fabric swatches to make a collage style wearable or accessory in the Pop Art aesthetic. This will be a fun and interesting project that blends current fashion trends with the bold…

Deco Trick (“Assassin’s”) Teapot

For my upcycle project, I will be making a dual-chamber teapot, inspired by the historic “assassin’s teapot” design, using acrylic and paint. I aim to create this teapot with a decopunk aesthetic while adhering to the project’s requirement of using discarded or otherwise unused materials. As mentioned in class, the primary goal of this project…

Upcycling 3D Printer Scraps

For this assignment, I would like to upcycle 3D printer scraps. In the 3D printing hobby, prints don’t always come out perfectly. Many objects fail during printing, resulting in an excess amount of scrap. Additionally, I often encounter excess filament being pushed out of the nozzle when loading new filament. To prevent clogging, I have…

Transforming 3D Print Scraps into Pixel Art

My project transforms leftover 3D print scraps into colorful pixel art portraits. Over the past two years, I have been storing my PLA scraps in bins, waiting for the right opportunity to upcycle them. 3D printing often produces extra pieces, failed prints, and support structures that usually go to waste. Instead of discarding them, I…

Upcycled Project: 3D Printer Filament Spool Shelf

Material Choice At the Integrated Teaching and Learning Laboratory (ITLL) makerspace here at CU, students are able to access our 3D printers (and filament) for free!  This gives them an affordable opportunity to grow skills and bring creative visions to life – but this unlimited access makes our program churn through PLA filament spools at…

Upcycle Project: Looney Tunes Backgrounds

Looney Tunes Aesthetic Project I’ve always admired the aesthetic of the backgrounds that take up a lot of the space of Looney Tunes cartoons. There actually used to be an Instagram account dedicated to showcasing these backgrounds, but I believe it got taken down due to copyright issues. This takedown was probably justified, but it…

Vintage technology/Retro Apple aesthetic – Ethernet Key Door Holder Rack

In terms of the scope for this upcycling project, I wanted the item I created to serve a functional purpose in my day-to-day life. I looked around my room and tried to find something that needed an item or fixture serving a secondary purpose, aside from its original design. In my case, I often hung…

Blending Rustic Charm with Modern Functionality: A Reclaimed Wooden Knife Block

For my upcycling project, I have chosen to create a magnetic knife block made from recycled wood. This design draws inspiration from the rustic charm of old reclaimed barn-style wood, combined with the sleek functionality of modern kitchen accessories. The aim is to highlight the character and imperfections of weathered wood, while crafting a practical…

Suspended in Mid-Century

Mid-century modern design is defined by clean lines, organic forms, and an innovative approach to materials. Rooted in the post-war optimism of the 1950s and ’60s, this aesthetic thrives on the interplay between natural and industrial elements. My piece—a stone suspended in a web of delicate threads encased in translucent epoxy—embodies stylized lines and organic…

Upcycle Project – Steampunk Introduction

To get this project going, I started with brainstorming and had three main parts I took into consideration:  What Aesthetic I wanted to have my project embody What I wanted to make  What resources I had at my disposal realized  I have always loved the look of Steampunk. I loved the metallic, darkish colors, and…

Upcycle Project – Baroque Introduction

Arguably one of the most famous classical aesthetics, Baroque is a famous music and art style that grew popular in Western Europe from 1600 -1750. Baroque has many defining characteristics, often depicting dramatic and tense scenes. Baroque art is commonly described as a mixture of classicism and naturalism. Annibale Carracci and Caravaggio are among some…

Upcycling Liquor Bottles into Industrial Vintage Drinkware

For my upcycle project, I want to transform discarded liquor bottles into a set of unique, vintage-inspired cups and pitchers. Rather than stripping away the original branding, I’m embracing the logos, embossed glass, and worn labels as part of the design. This approach aligns with the Industrial Vintage aesthetic—an aesthetic that highlights raw materials, historical…

Rattan Peacock Chair out of Tires

For the upcycling project, I am taking inspiration from the Rattan Peacock Chair aesthetic. This iconic chair has a very interesting history, which is well explained in this video by Vox. The short history is that rattan chairs became popular as ‘photography chairs’ in the late 1800s because they were lightweight, beautiful, and stayed cool…

Bauhaus & De Stijl: Upcycling with Recycled Skateboard Decks

Aesthetic Inspiration For my upcycle project, I have chosen to blend the Bauhaus and De Stijl aesthetics. This decision was largely influenced by my choice of material—old skateboard decks. The colorful, laminated layers of wood in skateboard decks create linear patterns when cut, aligning with both design movements. I plan to repurpose these decks into…

Vintage Americana Chalk Bag Made from Reworked Levi’s

What is Vintage Americana? Red, white, blue, and denim: the color pallet of vintage americana. Inspired by the feminine styles of the 1950s and 1960s throughout the United States (Living Vintage, 2023), vintage americana looks like coca cola advertisements and diners. Fig 1. Double Conveys Diner in New York in 1941 Vintage americana is not…

Cyberpunk Stereoscope

Cyberpunk Stereoscope After exploring stereograms in my aesthetic exploration last week, I decided to create a rendition of a stereoscope as my upcycle project. Stereoscopes are devices with which to view stereograms, and an example Holmes Stereoscope is depicted above [1]. There are several key components that compose a Holmes stereoscope. On the viewing side…

The Unexpected Red Theory: A Laser-Cut Tree Upcycle Project

For my up-cycle project, I have chosen to continue explore the Unexpected Red Theory aesthetic. If you are not familiar with it, this theory revolves around the idea of using red as an intentional, striking contrast in an otherwise neutral or natural setting. By incorporating an unexpected red element, the design gains a focal point…

Artificial Nature: Bringing Discarded Circuitry Alive

For my Upcycle project, I have chosen the Artificial Nature aesthetic, an aesthetic which fuses organic lifeforms with mechanical and electronic elements and creates a vision of nature that has evolved through technology. This aesthetic blurs the line between the biological and the synthetic to present a fantasy in which machines take on the form…

Beauty in Death: Strangler Fig Lampshade

[2] Strangler Fig Growth Animation A strangler fig is a parasitic plant typically found in a dense, tropical environment. It evolved to adapt to the nutrient competitive environment by entrapping its victim with it’s ariel roots, limiting growth and stealing it’s nutrients. As the host tree dies and begins to rot away, the aerial roots…

The Sports Bar Aesthetic: An Upcycled Bottle of Lebron James Hennessy

My upcycling project repurposes an old bottle of special edition LeBron James Hennessy to create a table lamp that follows a sports bar/athletic aesthetic. This project will be an exciting endeavor that creates a one-of-a-kind piece of functional decoration for my bedroom.   The sports bar aesthetic is commonly associated with local bars, which have…