Introduction: Beautility: an Eco, Easy and Elegant Beer Bottle Shelf.
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About: Pushan Panda is a creative technologist and design educator. He has extensive experience in digital fabrication and industrial design. He is passionate about using design for positive social impact through pro…
Paper and beer bottles -- things that we often find stacking up at home. Well, what if you were given something to do with them, and made at the same time space for other things that are piled up and that you want to display?
Using waste paper, empty bottles, and some time and energy, here's an eco-friendly shelf. It's simplicity at it's best.
Who thought drinking beer could actually come in handy?
If you liked my shelf please vote for me!
Using waste paper, empty bottles, and some time and energy, here's an eco-friendly shelf. It's simplicity at it's best.
Who thought drinking beer could actually come in handy?
If you liked my shelf please vote for me!
Step 1: Gather Your Material
sunshine!
wild amounts of paper (could be newspaper, cardboard, magazines, etc.)
beer bottles
a scrubber
a plastic sheet
for mold:
pieces of wood
hammer
nails
wild amounts of paper (could be newspaper, cardboard, magazines, etc.)
beer bottles
a scrubber
a plastic sheet
for mold:
pieces of wood
hammer
nails
Step 2: The Mold
You can chose your shape and dimensions.
I've chosen a regular rectangle.
Cut the pieces to size. Hammer in the nails.
Your mold is ready.
I've chosen a regular rectangle.
Cut the pieces to size. Hammer in the nails.
Your mold is ready.
Step 3: The Paper Pulp
Soak the paper overnight in a bucket of water.
Shred into bits and make it a pulp.
You can add colouring at this point if you like.
Shred into bits and make it a pulp.
You can add colouring at this point if you like.
Step 4: The Shelves
Squeeze out some of the water so that pulp is semi-dry (having it too wet will take longer and make your shelves shrink further, whereas it being too dry would make them crumbly).
Place your mold above the plastic sheet. Fill in the mold 1 and 1/2 inch high.
Make well spaced holes, not too close to the edge, in zigzag like in the picture. (make them larger than necessary, they shrink)
Remove the mold carefully and repeat process for the other shelves.
Leave them to dry. It should take 2 days in a bright tropical sun.
(I suggest you put weights over the shelves at night, they tend to warp)
Place your mold above the plastic sheet. Fill in the mold 1 and 1/2 inch high.
Make well spaced holes, not too close to the edge, in zigzag like in the picture. (make them larger than necessary, they shrink)
Remove the mold carefully and repeat process for the other shelves.
Leave them to dry. It should take 2 days in a bright tropical sun.
(I suggest you put weights over the shelves at night, they tend to warp)
Step 5: The Bottles
Scrub/peel the labels off. Of course, you can leave them on if you want to.
Step 6: Assembly
Slot them in the holes, like in the pictures.
Your basic shelf is done!
Your basic shelf is done!
Step 7: Extra Features
If you want to spice it up, here are things i suggest:
grow creepers inside the bottles
light up the bottles with Christmas lights
You can also paint the shelves and bottles to your liking. I chose not to.
grow creepers inside the bottles
light up the bottles with Christmas lights
You can also paint the shelves and bottles to your liking. I chose not to.
Step 8: The Finished Shelf!