To Americans, shopping carts are a part of every day life. It is second nature to some of us to grab one before we enter a grocery, department or hardware store. Their utilitarian and monotonous design has varied slightly since their creation in 1937, signifying what can be interpreted as being design perfection.

Designer Etienne Reijnders has taken the colloquial shopping cart and transformed it into pieces of furniture. Reminiscent of mid-century modern design, such as the Eames Wire Chair, these pieces demonstrate the beauty of recycling something as mundane as a shopping cart and turning it into a work of art.

Much of the material used is taken only from the carts alone. After the new forms of the shopping carts are created, the only additions are galvanization of the metal surfaces and fitting of plastic pieces.

The simplicity of these furniture pieces is reflected from Reijnders’ own philosophy, which he states, “I believe that a work should be simple. The design and materials must suit the idea. So don’t make it prettier or uglier than it needs to be. I work very concise and pure.”

Images and information courtesy of © Upcycled Zine.