Got books? Got overflowing bookshelves? Looking for a green bookcase? After much searching I’ve found you all kinds of bookcases from green colored ones to ones made from cardboard, from simple designs you can build yourself, to ones that arrive ready to slot together. The variety of bookcases available on the internet has really surprised me. I hope you will enjoy looking and maybe find something useful. I’ve been looking for years and still haven’t either purchased or built what we need. Maybe soon!
First up are engineered wood bookcases from Legare. The bookcase pictured on the left is a Legare. Made from waste scraps of wood, wood from small trees, and glue, engineered wood does not require felling of large trees.
Bamboo grows faster than trees and can be a good environmental choice. Abundant Earth sell an attractive bookcase that comes in either second-growth American red oak or Eastern maple, or in bamboo. They also have Forest Stewardship Council certified furniture, which looks the same as the Amazon.com bookcase pictured here.
I read about Z-board bookcases at Green Your Decor’s blog. Z-boards are made from 99% post-consumer recycled paper. It’s hard to imagine something more environmentally friendly. You can read the FAQ’s here. Their bookcases require no tools to construct, they are put together with industrial strength adhesive tape. Cool!
If you’re handy with tools you can get lots of bookcase designs at Instructables.com. Here is a 60 minute bookcase project which does not require fancy woodworking skills (just glue and nails) – beware irreverent language on the instructions! Or try simple hardwood shelves. If you have an extensive book collection and want to put shelves on your walls take a look at the design and details for Hungarian shelves.
I enjoyed all of the above, but my two very favorites are 20 Brilliant Bookcase Designs from WebUrbanist and cardboard furniture from Paris, France. See a short video about making cardboard furniture here.
If you know of any other green options please do send me a link.
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Ah, bookcases, my favorite pieces of furniture–of which there is never enough in my house!
Thanks for stopping by my Tesla post.
Hi Sherry, thanks for visiting. Too few bookcases seems to be a common problem with homeschoolers!
I got really intrigued by the idea of cardboard furniture yesterday and I’ve been looking for a cardboard bookcase design. So far I’ve not turned up anything decent. Being in the book business I get a steady flow of quality cardboard boxes, which I normally reuse and recycle, but I’d love to find a good project to do with some of them
Hi Everyone, thank you for talking about green furniture alternatives and mentioning our zBoards from Way Basicscheck http://www.waybasics.com
I’m the founder and CEO Way Basics and wanted to let you know you can receive 20% off instantly just by signing up for our newsletter!
It’s really so simple and easy to put together just by peeeling, stick, done. No tools, no hardware, no kidding. The zBoards are just as strong as particle board, but 62% lighter! I could go on and on…. experience the simplicity at http://www.waybasics.com
We appreciate any feedback as well. Thank you and enjoy the possibilities!