Back to basics or in my case back to milk containers. It all started with my upcycle design by collecting discarded plastic milk containers, 2-litre ones. I set myself a goal to design a lampshade out of these milk containers. Easier said than done of course. But after some trial and error I found a way to ensemble the parts I had cut out. And from that time on I’ve created 18 upcycle designs made out of milk containers. Some quite laborious and others a little less. Like I wrote before, these containers are great for making upcycle lampshades. They’re made of sturdy plastic and they have a fantastic transparency. When I look at all the designs I’ve made so far I think I’ve succeeded in showing what can be done by upcycling these otherwise boring everyday objects.
Desk lamp with friendly folded plastic strips
After working with plastic I tried discarded cardboard and made three designs until now. Also a great and very friendly material to work with. And also a material that has incredible possibilities. Just look at what all other designers create using cardboard. One side note, not all of them use discarded cardboard. And upcycling should be about giving discarded objects and materials a second life, a new function.
So why a new design using plastic milk containers? That’s because I still have so many leftovers laying around and wanted to see if I could come up with another idea. Not a lampshade but a small desk lamp. After some wrongs I finally got it right. At least I think I did. This upcycle design piece is called ‘MilkFold‘ and is made out of the middle part of two containers. They are folded and kept in place by the lamp socket and are attached to a cube from a wooden pallet with a few screws. I’ve tried several lightbulbs and settled for a tube formed LED lightbulb. This bulb fits like a glove in this desk lamp.
The main goal for this design was to create a small and simple looking desk lamp. After some fiddling around with several container parts I came to this design with nice folded strips of plastic that create playful lines.
Photos © Gilbert de Rooij
Like I always, stay tuned because I’ve still got some new ideas for making other lamps and lampshades out of plastic milk containers.
Please visit ‘My upcycle design‘ for more upcycle design made by me.
Design by Gilbert de Rooij
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