Cardboard isn’t a material that designers use often. But it is a readily available, surprisingly resilient, and recyclable material that is remarkably adaptable to a variety of design uses. Frank Gehry famously used cardboard to create iconic furniture designs, and even used cardboard as a book cover.
I have explored the potential of cardboard throughout the years. In 2003 during one of my internships I collaborated in the design of this chair for the inaugural Singapore Biennale. The chair was made from die-cut glue laminated cardboard and strapped in tape to match the event branding and provide better wear resistance.
In a school project in 2007 at the Illinois Institute of Technology, I designed this cardboard chair to mimic the qualities of Gehry’s Superlight Chair in cardboard without copying it’s form. The chair was light and flexible as the original, and held up surprisingly well despite it’s delicate structure!
A while back I found an old chair with solid steel legs, but a decaying plywood seat. So I repainted the frame and refurbished it with a laminated cardboard seat that has the beautiful corrugated texture of the cardboard and is actually quite comfortable.
More recently, I created a series of useful desktop objects from recycled cardboard. This desktop plant stand provides some extra greenery and space on my desk at work.
I used a similar technique to whip up a phone stand, which I needed to put on Netflix in the background while working late.
I also created some planter boxes from recycled cardboard scraps, the texture is nice and organic and hides the nondescript waterproof insert.
Have you used cardboard in your designs? Let me know in the comments!
