Old Bikes Turned Into Fashionable Furniture

Two businessmen from the Netherlands have been converting old, discarded bicycles into stylish furniture and other useful products.

José Manuel Ríos Valiente (flickr)

The 25-year-old Lodewijk Bosman and 28-year-old Hidde van der Straaten, both Industrial Design students, were the pioneers of this innovation.

The country has around 18 million bikes, but due to inconveniences in parking, some of the bikes are either abandoned and sold or confiscated by officials, according to a website Mysinchew.

The two young entrepreneurs purchase parts of these bikes and turn them into works of art. An example of their unique works include an upcycle bedside lamp sold at €88 and a €10 bracelet derived from bike chain links. Another unique product they sell is a rubbery cubic stool created from waste wood covered in plaited inner tubes. The company has been selling their products online.

Van der Straaten said half of their clients are Dutch. They are planning to distribute their products to souvenir shops in the country. "The bicycle is something typically Dutch, so why not turn them into souvenirs?" he said.

Meanwhile, Lodewijk believes that they will not run of supply since the Netherlands is known as ‘The’ country for bicycles. He said his motto is "People, Planet, Profit."