The magazines you’ve read through can be turned into extra storage space for the home in a few easy steps.
Magazines can be thick, but individually, the floppy, thin pages seem like the last material you would use to build a sturdy bookshelf. To everyone’s surprise, Sean Miller did the unthinkable and crafted a bookshelf from 80 National Geographic magazines and was named one of 23 finalists in Inhabitat’s Spring Greening Contest.
Sean Miller's award-winning design. Image via Inhabitat
When magazines start piling up, it’s hard to part with them. So, the next option is to display them on a rack, but once you run out of storage space, you have to make a choice to reuse or recycle. Reusing a collection of magazines and creating a bookshelf is an eco-friendly and stylish way to make room for more books and magazines. Although you might not want to say goodbye to such an iconic magazine like National Geographic, you can always reuse a collection that isn’t as close to your heart. Follow in Miller’s footsteps and create a magazine bookshelf of your very own.
- Gather all of the magazines you’re willing to reuse. You can make a longer bookshelf using 80 like Miller did, or create smaller, cube-like shelves using fewer. Judge your wall space first and then decide how long you want your shelf to be.
- Thoroughly coat the magazines in a water/starch mixture and neatly stack them together. Create a homemade starch by boiling 3¾ cups water. Then add 1 tablespoon of powered cornstarch and ¼ cup cold water to the hot water in a separate bowl.
- Place a brick or other heavy item on top of the outside of the stack and allow the magazines to dry for a week. During this time, the paper should harden, and the set of magazines will become one unit.
- Carefully use a band saw to carve out a rectangular shelf. Leave a few magazines in their entirety on both sides to give the shelf stability.
- Install several picture-hanging hooks that will hold the weight of the shelf.
Give this DIY magazine bookshelf a try and increase your home’s vertical storage space. In addition, this accessory is a green conversation piece that can enhance your walls with iconic reading material.
kelly Wood
December 1st, 2010
I am assuming that the inside part that was cut away will not be recyclable after the hardening process. So doesn’t this make a great deal of magazine pages trash that would otherwise be recyclable? I think it is a cute idea. But maybe not as eco friendly as it is advertised to be.
Marina Hanes
December 1st, 2010
Hi Kelly, the inside section that is cut away doesn’t necessarily have to be thrown away. With a little creativity, you can turn it into functional items. For instance, you could cut various sized and shaped paper weights for your desk or use bigger pieces as book holders for shelves. Those are just a couple ideas. Thanks for reading!
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Paloma
August 28th, 2011
This is great! Do you coat the insides of the magazines, or just all around the outside?
Debbie
February 11th, 2012
I too would like to know if you have to coat each page of the magazines, or just around the outside of each?
Also, can you cut the magazines before coating and stack to your finished shelves to dry? Trying to eliminate the band saw step since I don’t have access to a band saw.
GJParker
February 13th, 2012
My thought is to make a lot of the starch in a bucket. Then dip magazines one at a time. It may not coat every single page, but would wet through enough to hold it all together.
It does not seem plausible to cut the magazines before coating. It would make a very flimsy piece which would be difficult to handle.
Debbie
February 14th, 2012
thanks for your response. I really want to try this, I will report back when I have it done.
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