Creativity with Cardboard

“Say, it's only a paper moon, sailing over a cardboard sea”
~ E. Y. Harburg

As the holiday season wraps up, I am left swimming in heaps and heaps of leftover cardboard boxes. What a girl to do? I can surely zip em all down to the local recycling center, but I wonder what more can be done? Can superlicious eco-cool designs come from material similar to thick, stiff paper that is made of pressed paper pulp or pasted sheets of paper? I searched for some earth-friendly inspirations...

The Paperpod Rocket made entirely from cardboard. Reminds me of the forts I would build as a youngster using those great big brown boxes. What joy! This sky-rocketing design made from recycled corrugated cardboard is available at Paperpod.
Cardboard Riccio from A4adesign. Large and light mobile resembling a sea urchin, to be suspended from the ceiling.

Claw is made from corrugated cardboard and is an inclined scratching post for your clawing feline friends, from Everyday Studio

Designer Jeff Beene’s Davis Bold Chair made from recycled corrugated cardboard offers a modern dining chair or accent chair.

Modular stackable Bookcase made of recycled honeycombed-board by A4adesign

Cardboard Pendant Lamp from Chump Furniture. One of a kind hanging eco-bright lamp...
Easy Edges Wiggle Side Chair by Canadian born Frank Gehry. "After discovering that single sheets of cardboard gained exponential strength when layered, he began to manipulate the simple material into graceful, curvilinear chairs and tables..."

Cardboard Bench by Jason Iftakhar, turning old boxes into simple furniture such as this ‘raw bench’, made from compressed cardboard packing. At Timeout.com via Treehugger

Finishityourself practical cardboard stool from Netherlands designer David Graas. "You not only assemble this stool yourself, but, because product and packaging are both made from cardboard, also finish it yourself. Two parts of the stool are simply cut loose from the box where the remaining six parts are packaged in." Sounds simple...



Boxylady cardboard chair from ReturDesign. Designed from cardboard to create the perfect post-holiday 'sit back and relax chair'.



4-Petal table designed by Josh Levy for Cardboardchair.com. Recycled cardboard designed into a versatile piece which can be a side table, coffee table, accent table and/or serve as wine storage.


Spacedividers from Cardboarddesign, constructed from corrugated cardboard. The partition is fully recyclable and an ecologically-friendly product.

Cardboard Chair from Frank Gehry Cardboard Furniture Collection 1969 - 1973


Corrugated Cardboard Lamp by Giles Miller, designed by alternating the angle of the corrugated cardboard to created different textures and patterns. An intricate light that gives off moody cool shadows...



Kui-Kui Cardboard Folding Chair designed by Carine Imhof. The stool is light, easy to build, and portable!

For the cardboard creative and courageous... The Cardboard House designed by Stutchbury and Pape. The recycled cardboard is a lightweight and versatile material. Recycling the house saves 12 cubic metres of landfill, 39 trees and 30 000 litres of water. Gives new meaning to home sweet home...

Oh, thou cardboard... I shall never underestimate the endless potential of a big brown box...