The first time I saw a gorgeous Voss water bottle I was in the Four Seasons Hotel in New York. I think only because the bottle was so pretty I was compelled to pay seven dollars for water. There was no way I was going to just toss it!  There are flower vendors on almost every corner in Manhattan. So I bought some Gerber Daisies, went back to the room and used that sexy bottle as a vase.

Here’s are some other fun ideas for what to do with all of those empty water bottles.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: What to Do with All Those Empty Water Bottles

1. Build a Water Wall with Empty Water Bottles

Inspired by green architect Michelle Kaufman — one of the funnest, green DIY projects to date is building a water wall. To help keep a west wall cool in the warmer months of the year, you can drink all the Voss you like and use the bottles to construct a water wall. The water in the bottles acts as a thermal mass absorbing and storing the heat which can be released later in the evening when it might be needed. Any type of bottle can be used, but the entire point is that is should be a bottle you would have otherwise thrown away. To build, it’s gorgeous and screams high design but it is actually incredibly simple to make:

How to Build Your Own Water Wall

• Take 50-60 Empty Voss Bottles (Or Glass bottles of your choice!)
• Secure to a shelving system – we think a light, exposed wood looks best not to mention — on trend!

Here’s a photo of a water bottle wall installation in the NYC Morimoto restaurant, designed by Front. One of these walls spans TWO stories (I think they may have used more than 5o empty bottles for this one *wink() — Isn’t it just stunning? The way it bounces the light!

The wall is not only resourceful, but it’s beautiful. While it provides protection from the heat and privacy, the light beams pass through the windows and bounce all over your walls. You can customize the look by adding flowers, leaves or even food coloring. I wish we could link you to Michelle Kaufman’s fabulous  DIY Water Wall Guide because it was so gorgeous and comprehensive, but unfortunately she’s shut her blog down.

2. Elegant Terrariums

Image Via Pinterest

3. Etched Glass

Playing with and decorating with glass is always so delicate – We love these projects. But when we came across these gorgeous etched glass tutorials, I thought they looked pretty but one of those easy-to-get-wrong Pinterest-fail projects but it’s actually shockingly easy and meditative to do once you get a good handle on the blade. This Martha Stewart tutorial video is one of the best we found for beginners looking to get into glass etching: The pro tip here is to be sure to keep the lids on while you are etching so prevent chipping and breakage.

4. Storage For Pastas, Spices, or Office Supplies

Once you’re done with your custom etched glass creation, use all those empty water bottles as storage containers. They’re excellent for pastas or school and office supplies.

Image via Maria Marra

More Green Interior Design and Sustainable Home Improvement DIY Projects:

You are reading the Green Blog, after all, so you’ve likely come here for more green interior design tips and sustainable DIY projects! Here are some of our favs, ranging from simple swaps in the bathroom to full-home renovations:

• Here’s a great resource for tiny ways you can help the environment – we wrote it for earth day, but it’s full of great, evergreen tips for taking year-round action! 
• Simple Swaps to Make Your Bathroom more eco-friendly
• If it’s deep-cleaning you’re interested in, check out our favorite whole-house deep-cleaning checklist here.
• Have larger renovations in mind? Start with tearing out any dated wall-to-wall carpeting. This post explains why!  and where to get ethically made rugs
• Keep Houseplants Alive Guide: This is one of our most popular posts to date! 
• Ready to Dive Deep? The 2nd Edition of Green Interior Design by Lori Dennis & Courtney Porter is available for pre-order. It’s chock-full of fabulous sustainable design project ideas and tips and looks fab on a coffee table! Pre-order that here.
• Watch Lori’s tutorial for DIY Dip-Dyed Throw Pillows below or visit this post for a more in-depth tutorial, if reading is more your thing!

DIY: Dip Dyed Throw Pillows from Lori Dennis on Vimeo.