To me, the best way to go green when it comes to furniture is to repurpose old furniture and to keep additional furniture from having to be manufactured in the first place. It saves all the emissions that come with manufacturing furniture and it ensures that we will be left with solid furniture and don’t have to worry about the negative health effects associated with pressed wood.

A couple of years ago, my in-laws moved into an assisted living facility, and my husband and I were left with emptying out their house on very short notice. It was hard for him to make decisions on what to keep and what to give away, so we filled a small truck and stored a lot of their furniture in our basement.

There were many times when Jack wanted to donate everything because he was frustrated with the additional “stuff” in our basement. Over the past few months though, we have been taking out one piece at a time and in many cases have decided to repurpose it.

My husband treasures the memories associated with the furniture and loves saving the money we would usually spend on new pieces. I love the results and the sense of accomplishment I get when I am finished with yet another piece. And I cherish the thought that my son is using his uncle’s dresser and finds it cool. I also love that we are using my husband’s childhood dresser and his parents’ nightstand in our living room and that it works for us. It’s a bit like being surrounded by a bunch of family members all the time!