10 Upcycled Gadgets for Those Who Just Can’t Say Goodbye


For most of us, not even a crippled global economy can temper our insatiable thirst for new technology. The noughties school of consumerism dictates that products older than 18 months are automatically obsolete and destined for nothing more than eBay or the landfill. Why not buck the trend and take a nosy at this collection of 10 upcycled gadgets, mercifully snapped from the icy grip of the grim reaper, and reimagined as new products entirely.

1. Vinyl Letter Holder

There are a lot of people who will argue vociferously that vinyl’s still alive and well but, apart from audiophiles, the world and his wife are listening to MP3s. Why not recycle your old Bay City Rollers LPs into something useful? With just a careful application of heat, Haus of Ariella’s able to fashion some cutesy-as-hell letter holders that’ll keep your takeaway menus off the doormat, and turn Zooey Deschanel green with envy. (Haus of Ariella – $25)


2. Hard Drive Clock

It’s a hard fact for us to accept but hard drives are not immortal; they can and will die. Fear not though, Etsy shop owner “pixel this” reanimates hard drives that have shed their mortal coils by retrofitting a gorgeous clock face to them. (pixelthis – $36)


3. Typewriter Cufflinks

Next time you’re at an event that calls for the pomp of cufflinks, why not commemorate the unrelenting pace of technological obsolescence by dressing up your wrists with a couple of initialed keys? (Lizzyblue – $25)


4. Floppy Disk Notebook

Floppy disks, I hardly knew ye. However, those of an older vintage can rekindle old flames with KuKu Design’s delightful floppy disk notepad. To construct the notepad, the Argentina-based KuKu skinned a couple of floppies and bound them together alongside 100 per cent recycled paper to complete the sustainable vibe. (Kuku Design – $35)


5. iMac Cat Bed

What better way to desecrate a modern design classic than slapping a freaking cat bed in the middle of the luscious candy shell of Ives’s masterpiece? In order to make these wonderfully geeky cat chambers; AtomicAttic gut a G3; pull-out the integrated speakers and stick them onto the back of the unit (so it sits flat), and finally, droped in a machine-washable “fluffy cushion” so Mr. Mistoffelees can get a good night’s kip. If you can justify dropping £130 on this iCat bed, then a whole smorgasbord of candy colours are available for your feline’s pleasure. (Atomic Attic – $137)


6. Computer Fan Chandelier

You could say that Willem Deridder’s E-Fan Chandelier’s aesthetics are an acquired taste — or that it’s ugly as sin; I’ll leave that up to you. However, Mr.Deridder should be given props for his innovative repackaging of the lowly computer fan. The multifunctional light fitting harnesses reclaimed fans picked out of the corpses of over 50 PCs to simultaneously light and cool your chosen nerd chamber. (DerriderDesignstudio)


7. N64 Flash Drive

Since the advent of Goldeneye made four controllers an integral part of the Nintendo 64 experience, there must be a tonne of old plastic tridents scattered around various attics and basements across the nation. The clever chaps over at Green Cub have come up with a solution that ingeniously shoehorns a maximum of 16GB of storage into the port of the deceased controller, so you can pretend you’re in a time machine every time you’re transferring spreadsheets at work. (Green Cub – $20)


8. iBook Wall Clock

This clever time piece fashions an old 14” iBook cover into a great wall clock. The pièce de résistance has to be the inclusion of Apple’s white wireless mouse as the actual pendulum bob — there’s something fascinatingly odd about the juxtaposition of an analogue clock movement driven by the quintessentially modern mouse. (pixel this – $74)


9. Print Cartridge Chandelier

This print cartridge chandelier might not scream decadence as much as its bejewelled cousins, but it sure screams thrifty and, possibly, if you listen close enough, CMYK. The fitting is fashioned from the used carcasses of Epson cartridges braced by aluminium fixings. Contrary to the ‘only a mother could love’ design of the e-fan, the translucent glow given off by the fitting might actually make a statement and look nice. (Lowell and Louise)


10. Ribbon Cable Hairband

You hipsters can keep your thick-framed dummy glasses, there is no finer example of geek chic than this ribbon cable-adorned hairband. If you’re lucky enough to possess two X chromosomes, a wonderful world of bespoke upcycled computer jewellery awaits. (Clone Hardware – $20)


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