Designer Libero Rutilo has created an inspiring collection of design vases combining upcycling and 3D printing technology. The project gives a second life to the empty PET bottle, which would be otherwise end up in a landfill.

The Spider Vase

Rutilo’s 3D printed shell slips over the bottle like a dress, making it disappear under its mesh. The vase has an inner neck fillet which screws onto the bottle like an ordinary bottle cap.

The Sinuous Vase

Designed for 0,5L PET water and soft drinks bottles, they fit the neck openings of commonly used and easily found PCO bottles.

The Lace Vase

The collection includes four different designs: the Spider Vase is the most organic piece with its biomorphic pattern. The Sinuous Vase’s fluid curves form a wavy pattern. The Lace Vase has a classical look reminiscent of an amphora covered with a crochet-inspired pattern, while the Knitted Vase’s intricate pattern contains extraordinarily fine details.

The Knitted Vase

You will of course not clean up the planet by recycling just one bottle, but if you have a chance to reuse one and turn it into a design object, it can be a first step towards a more environmentally friendly lifestyle.

Here’s a similar product–MollaSpace’s polyester sleeve slips over a wine bottle. $17.64 at Amazon.

Photography by Claudio Morelli.