Curban Chic Challenge

Hi! We’re Off the Curb, Inc., a nonprofit corporation with a simple but critical mission. We want to keep furniture out of landfills, and you can help. We’ve created the Curban Chic Challenge to encourage everyone to get involved. It’s creative. It’s fun. And it will positively impact our planet. Will you take the Curban Chic Challenge?

What It Is

The Curban Chic Challenge is as straightforward as our mission: We challenge you to have at least one repaired, repurposed, or reused piece of furniture in every room of your home.

Repaired

items are items you already own, items that have wear and tear and/or breakage but are still usable and wanted. These are items that you—or someone else –fix and continue to use in their usual manner. (For tips and tricks, visit our Repair Board on Pinterest!)

Repurposed

items may be items you already own or items you have salvaged from elsewhere. They may have wear and tear and/or breakage, or they may be in excellent condition. The key here is that repurposed items are altered by you—or someone else—and used in an unorthodox manner. Examples would be a dresser turned into a bathroom vanity or an upright piano turned into a dry bar. (For inspiration and ideas, check out our Repurpose Board on Pinterest!)

Reused

items are items you receive from outside sources, like family, friends, secondhand stores, yard sales, curb alerts, and online classifieds or communities. These items may need repaired, and they can be repurposed.

That’s it. Just have one piece of furniture that falls into one or more of the above categories in every room of your house, and you’ve successfully completed the Curban Chic Challenge.

What It Isn’t

Unlike other interior design trends, “Curban Chic” does not dictate style. It can be vintage, modern, farmhouse, contemporary, classic, art deco, traditional and more. It also doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, we believe it’s entirely possible to completely and beautifully furnish a whole room for free by following the principles of repair, repurpose, and reuse. Of course, that takes a level of commitment and ingenuity that not all of us are ready for, so just know that anything is possible, and we’re here for inspiration—every step of the way.

Why It Matters

We are marred by overconsumption. It’s in our air, our bodies, our homes, and our planet. Whether or not you’re worried about items decomposing in landfills and how that contributes to global warming, we can all agree that the readily disposable lifestyles we’re living are contributing to more waste than our planet should have to handle. Fortunately, it’s not too late to change. It’s never too late to change, and we believe small changes make the biggest impacts. The journey to decreasing and eliminating the over 9 million tons of furniture landfilled every year starts with one person and one table or chair. According to a 2011 US Census, the prototypical American home has three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Without even counting the kitchen, that means the average American home contains seven rooms, where seven repaired, repurposed, and reused pieces of furniture can live happily ever after—or at least happily for now. More importantly, that means, if 1,000 people, living in average American homes, take the Curban Chic Challenge, 7,000 pieces of furniture will be kept out of the landfill!

If you’re ready to take the Curban Chic Challenge, sign up for our newsletter and connect with us on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram to share your photos (using #curbanchicchallenge) and to get additional information about the contest, including prizes and giveaways.