Storied Objects: Furniture With a Past

Furniture made from reclaimed materials can mean a milk crate turned into a chair or an old door propped up as a table. But the pieces below prove that recycling and elegance don't have to be mutually exclusive.

Add a quirky touch to any corner with the steps-shaped cabinet from TROPICAL SALVAGE. Fair-trade artisans in Indonesia make it from tropical hardwoods that would otherwise have been trashed. Store keepsakes in its drawers and cubbies, and use the staggered flat surfaces up top to display your favorite trinkets. $1,290

Achieve that Cape Cod look and keep the future of Thoreau's beloved seascape firmly in mind with the Adirondack chair from LOLL. A modern take on the country-cottage classic, this sturdy seat is made of thick slats of plastic that's been recycled rather than scattered at sea. $600

The sturdy, portable campaign desk by ABODEWELL recalls the days of British colonialists, who longed for the comforts of home when they set up camp on distant shores. It's made of recycled wood and its hardware is plucked from vintage file cabinets. Each desk is custom-made, so you can choose your own color and configuration. $750

Get a taste of the exhilaration that comes from stealing second via this bar stool by TOKENS AND ICONS. The cushion is an actual base that's been used during a Major League Baseball game. $950 

After Bahram Sadighian (an inventor) and his wife, Shadi (a designer), built their Alexandria, Virginia, home in 2004, they had a lot of lumber left over. They didn't have the heart to throw it away, so they started making furniture from it. "Neighbors would ask us where we got our coffee table," Shadi remembers. And MODERN RUST was born. Their sturdy dining sets are still made of construction cast-offs and start at $220 for the smallest size.

This bed, made in part of recycled and reclaimed metals, looks as though it could inspire woodsy dreams that’d rival the most whimsical of children’s books. It’s from the fertile mind of modernist SALLY BRIDGE, though she gets Italians to handcraft her creations in Umbria. Starting at $2,450

--Avital Binshtock