The giant wooden cable reel is a staple furniture piece of college students, being that it's durable and you usually have to steal it, which adds to the character. Nonetheless, once we've graduated, most of us say goodbye to the cable reel and go to Ikea. A few people, though, continue to celebrate it, and even improve upon it.

The computer desk setup was cobbled together by Tivey in 2006 as part of an eco-friendly office project. It's a two-person workstation made from a single reel, and while it's not the most comfortable-looking place to work, you have to agree it's at least economical.

Junktion was founded in Tel Aviv in 2008 as a way to repurpose the refuse in the city into useful items. They provide the perfect chair to go with your spool table by replacing the drum with a black seat cushion. Honestly, though, we're not sure how it keeps from just tipping you over backwards when you rock too hard. Rocking chair rock, not like Aerosmith rock.

Country Living offers this handy guide to putting together an adorable little round bookshelf/reading table combo that shouldn't set you back more than $70, spool included, to make. It's the perfect height for children's books, provided you have a nursery big enough to sport a big spool in the middle. Barring that, it still makes an excellent reading room table.