By designer and television personality Taniya Nayak
If you’ve seen me on HGTV or Food Network, you know I love to use great design to reimagine commercial and residential spaces—updating them with a fresh, clean look that’s both beautiful and functional. But what you may not know is that it’s also extremely important to me to keep the environment in mind when I’m designing, which is why I’m so excited to work with Plastics Make it Possible® to give a family home a Recycling Makeover.
In this new video series, I’ll show you a few simple steps that can help you collect more recyclable plastics throughout your home. In your kitchen and outdoor living space, you likely have a variety of recyclable plastic food packaging, such as beverage bottles, yogurt and cottage cheese containers, deli containers, condiment bottles, and bread bags. You also can recycle much of the plastic packaging in your bathroom, including shampoo and conditioner bottles, lotion bottles, mouthwash bottles and medicine bottles. When you recycle these plastics, you help the environment by preventing valuable material from becoming trash in landfills.
But for me as a designer, the best part is that the plastics we recycle can live a second life as a variety of amazing furniture and decorative accents for every room of the home. In the Recycling Makeover video series, we demonstrate how these stylish, high-quality pieces can transform the look of a room while helping the planet.
Outdoor Living Space
A growing number of manufacturers are using recycled plastics from milk jugs and other packaging to create beautiful, durable outdoor furniture. I like starting with a table, benches and a couple of Adirondack chairs in a neutral hue, then accessorizing with bright pops of color. I suggest some colorful, shatter-resistant recycled-plastic tableware, along with a bright, bold outdoor rug made with recycled plastics to tie everything together. You can also find a wide range of garden accessories made with recycled plastics—from planters to birdhouses. Don’t be afraid to bring together a variety of colors and patterns, especially outdoors!
Kitchen
It’s easier than ever to find stylish kitchen accessories made with recycled plastics from milk jugs and yogurt containers. Thanks to the durability of plastics, these kitchen tools will stand up to years of use, and many of them are designed with a clean, modern aesthetic that’s perfect for updating the look of your kitchen. Look for items such as cutting boards, mixing bowls, utensils, and tableware made with recycled plastics—all come in a variety of fun colors to complement any kitchen décor.
Living Room
A few well-chosen decorative and functional pieces made with recycled plastics can work wonders to brighten up a bland living room! A floor rug in a bold pattern can add instant life to a room, and there are some beautiful recycled plastic versions out there. Don’t be afraid to add an additional bold accent, like a pair of recycled plastic seating cubes in an on-trend chevron print. By pairing bold colors with neutrals—such as warm yellow with soft gray—you can mix patterns while ensuring that they don’t compete with one another.
Bathroom
It’s easy to give a basic bathroom a more luxurious feel—and help the environment at the same time—by adding some beautiful accessories made with recycled plastics. Try creating some warmth and texture with a patterned floor rug. You can find these at a number of retailers in a variety of sizes, shapes and colors to suit any bathroom. And a stylish way to keep your bathroom organized is to purchase some colorful woven baskets made with recycled plastics. These versatile pieces are available in a variety of sizes, and you can use them for almost anything—I think they’re especially great for storing extra towels for guests.
For more of my recycling and design tips, watch the Recycling Makeover videos.
