In an earlier post we discussed the use of cardboard in furniture making or building and touted it as a great green material. In fact, cardboard will be a larger player in years to come in a lot of what we build. Check out the following examples of how it is used.

Cardboard House

A cardboard house would be not only sustainable but also exceedingly affordable. This house is designed with exterior waterproofing and water storage under the floor to protect it from the water and from blowing over in the wind. Of course, cardboard is also a highly collapsible building material, making the shipment of the house also more environmentally friendly, efficient and inexpensive.

Cardboard School – Westborough School

An intensive year-long study into the viability of cardboard as a construction material by the Buro Happold RDI team led to a project to design a building from the material for Westborough School.

Being made from post-consumer waste paper, cardboard has the potential to be a very ‘green’ building material. In this project, cardboard was used in structural tubes to support the roof, structural panels principally to stiffen the timber frame, as insulation for the walls and roof and also as surface layers. Oddly enough, this was developed in 2001!

cardboard · creative design · Material

As designers of furniture, we often get caught up in the beauty of the material. Wood. Simple, strong, organic and plain wood is classic and a brilliant material to work with. Given that, ever think of using cardboard? Yeap. So much emphasis is being put on green and recyclable material, why not? It is inexpensive, light-weight but durable and somewhat dense. Others are using it successfully now. Check out some of these uses:

Foldschool Cardboard Furniture

FlexibleLove

Cardboard Bookshelf and Sideboard by Reinhard Dienes

Cardboard will play a larger role in our materials. Consider it as a replacement for the core material of wood.  Why not? It is lighter and its density is fair. Considering it is readily available and very green I think it deserves a closer look.

cardboard · creative design · Furniture

OOOMS is a design shop located in the Netherlands. This company brings designs full of inspiration and with a high degree of originality. Some designs are very functional while others just playful. Three projects highlighted below really caught my eye.

Expect

I really like how this design looks conventional but is full of surprises in its hidden spaces.

Expect

Lo-Res Chair

Even though it is not practical, it is an interesting concept and good conceptual design.

Stamp Table

I really do have the urge to tear or smash this in two. However, the clean lines an use of tight-grained maple gives me second thoughts.

Stamp Table

creative design · Furniture · oooms

Interesting concept. Upon first thought, a city dweller like myself, would not agree with such a statement. There is nothing modern about rural but these designs and colors from furniturea work. More importantly, I like the idea that a company with rustic roots can identify and adapt a modern concept. It just goes to show you that being open minded can spark innovation.

Furniturea (fur-ni-chur-ah) is located in Portland, Maine and designs and manufactures contemporary hardwood furniture in a rural modern style. The pride they take in their work is evident as each piece is made one at a time and they take pride in their responsibility to the environment.

Rustic modern and bold colors define this furniture

From their site:

Furniturea’s adventurous designs and bold colors make a strong visual statement in Portland, Maine’s Old Port, a restored historic commercial district that hosts thousands of visitors every year. This vibrant, upscale, waterfront shopping district features a refreshing mix of commercial and recreational marine activities, diverse restaurants and bakeries, theaters, lodging, art galleries, historic architecture and unique locally-owned shops and boutiques.

creative design · Furniture

Designing chairs must be difficult. Lots of companies and designers try and there seems to be a standard set of rules:

• Chair must have a bottom, for, well, your bottom…
• Chir must have a back to support your back…
• Chair must have a solid base so it is stable…

What you will normally find is a combination of the above in some sort of fashion to create a forms that are beautiful and just as important…comfortable.

Tonon offers a large range of chair designs and does a good job with designing chairs with visual interest. Herman Miller is also an industry standard and must show when it comes to chair design. Herman Miller chairs run from retro to modern and are always easy on the eyes. How about new designers offering creative options like Mats Theselius? Below are a few designs that serve as creative inspiration for chair design that is somewhat restricting:

Interior Design Upholstered Swivel Chairs For Room Décor

Beautiful And Creative Upholstered Swivel Chairs For Room Décor

Upholstered Swivel Chairs For Room Decor By Tonon

Nelson Swag Leg Chair – Herman Miller

Aeron Chairs – Herman Miller

Mats Theselius

creative design · Furniture

In the last post we took a look at some work that made me scratch my head and wonder, “what are you thinking?” On the flip side, I would like to create a routine feature on this blog that highlights beautiful, creative work. As I was browsing the blogs I came across Straight Line Designs, a Vancouver, BC company that really speaks to the essence of fun and imaginative furniture design. Judson Beaumont appears to be the lead conceptual designer for Straight Line Designs. Not only is his work full of imagination and fun, the material and craftsmanship in the furniture is also there.

It looks like Straight Line Designs will do just about anything a client requests from custom furniture design to entire custom-designed living spaces. They were responsible for the Cotsen Children’s Library (Princeton NJ) being transformed into a literary wonderland. In addition, they were also featured on HGTV’s “I Want That!”

You should check out the Straight Line Designs site  and there work. Following are a few designs that really appealed to me:

Brian Dresser - Stained MDF

"Melting" Cabinet 2003 - Clear MDF

10th Anniversary Cindy Dresser

Whitney Lou - Stained Solid Maple and Maple Veneer

creative design · Furniture