How to Upcycle Pipes into Industrial DIY Shelves and Lighting

Upcycled Plumbing Pipe Coat Rack

Repurposed piping can be an ideal material for creating your own furniture and lighting fixtures, and it instantly gives an interior an industrial steampunk feel. The way in which pipes logically fit together to form joints, along with the baseplates that can be simply fixed to a wall, make piping a surprisingly easy medium to work with for forming the structures of furniture pieces.

A lot of the examples shown in this feature are finished products made using upcycled piping which individuals are selling online. However there are also informative guides which tell you how to make your own installations as well as images for inspiration.

Pipe Shelving Tutorial by DIY Show Off

Pipe Shelving Tutorial by DIY Show Off

To get the ball rolling, here’s an absolutely amazingly in-depth tutorial over at DIY Show Off which shows you how you can start making your very own upcycled pipe furniture. They take on this huge kitchen shelving system for the project and go through the process step-by-step, from the design and planning stages right up till the finishing touches.

Pipe Desk Lamps by Peared Creation

Edison Bulb VIntage Pipe Desk Lamp by Peared Creation

Part local historians part light makers, Peared Creation sell their unique wares online which combine upcycled pipes and vintage bottles. The faucet taps of the pipes often serves as the light switch for the lamps. The light pictured here features an Edison bulb instead of a bottle and is sold for $165 here.

Upcycled Pipe Coat Rack by [you_have_broken_the_internet]

Upcycled Pipe Coat Rack by [you_have_broken_the_internet]

This coat rack was made by [you_have_broken_the_internet] who have kindly written an amazing step-by-step tutorial here. Their project came in at just $71 using standard black steel plumbing components and two oak planks for the shelf.

Loft Interior Pipe Railing Concept by Alexander Uglyanitsa

Loft Interior Pipe Rail Rendering by Alexander Uglyanitsa

Pipes provide a safety railing for a mezzanine platform in this loft interior concept by Alexander Uglyanitsa. The design has an emphasis on not decorating building materials as evidenced by the exposed brick walls. It’s hard to believe that this image is just a rendering but it certainly illustrates how an aspect of a house typically hidden away can be both beautiful and functional in the structure. See the rest of his work here. 

Pipe Bookshelves by Oilfield Slang

Pipe Bookshelves by Oilfield Slang

Oilfield Slang is a Texas based studio that specialise in producing industrial pipe bookshelves. This example has lighting built into it and it can be bought online here for $349.

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Upcycled Pipe and Wood Shelves and Toilet Roll Holder by Reclaimed PA

Small Recliaming Pipe Bookshelf by Relaimed PA

Reclaimed PA are a duo of professional repurposers who sell their wares through Scout Mob Shoppe. They sell some cool simpler pipe bookshelves as well as some other unusual items such as a toilet roll holder made from plumbing pipes.

 

Chunky Pipe Bathroom Shelf by LoftEssentials

Chunky Pipe Bathroom Shelf by LoftEssentials

This all-in-one bathroom shelf is the work of LoftEssentials, an Etsy shop who unfortunately no longer appear to be trading. I’ll provide a link here anyway in the event they decide to reopen in the future. In any case, this piece goes to show what’s possible when it comes to customised pipe furniture by incorporating shelving, towel rails and hanging pegs into a single unit.

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Comments

  1. Nathan Drayton

    Where can you purchase the industrial pipes in the uk in order to do these amazing ideas???

    1. Vivian Howell Williams

      There are many commercial sources for this material and fittings. The expensive part would be the need for a pipe threading machine- electric, and a decent pipe cutting chop saw machine along with a couple of decent stilson grips with the muscles to use them. From my memory it was rare to see these galvanised pipes being bent to form – always used couplings of different types and sizes. Late reply but only just found this site. Viv.

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