A hashtag to defeat a hard-to-die stereotype that wants cardboard as a material that cannot meet the needs of furniture
That cardboard furniture is an excellent alternative for those looking for ecological furnishing solutions is certainly not new. However, there is a persistent perplexity about the quality and durability of these products that are often seen as a kind of playful imitation of the “real” furniture made of wood, plastic or metal. This negative stereotype is connected to the fact that cardboard is a relatively new and definitely niche material in the world of interior design. There is also an aspect connected to the concept of cardboard that incorporates a universe of materials, not all suitable for the construction of furnishing solutions. To make an analogy it is as if we were talking generically about wood, without specifying whether a piece of furniture is made of sturdy beech, larch, or oak boards, or if rather it is built with sheets of plywood, veneer or chipboard. As it is easy to guess between two such products passes all the difference in the world and therefore under the same label of “wood” there can be very fine furniture and low-cost furnishings of low alloy.
The same goes for cardboard furniture: there is a whole universe of furnishing solutions and ranging from simple DIY cabinet, perhaps obtained from the creative recovery of used boxes and packaging boxes, passing through “light” cardboard displays, suitable only for displaying a few brochures, arriving at huge modular libraries able to withstand a capacity of quintals without problems.
How do you explain these differences? And above all, can the Combination of Cardboard Furniture work, or is it really just a sort of fashion not to be taken too seriously? The answer goes through some basic factors
- The material: that is, what cardboard to use for furniture?
- Technology: How Innovation Has Changed the Industry
- Experience: because you learn from mistakes, always
1. Which cardboard to use for ecological and durable furniture?
Cardboard is light and totally recyclable and this certainly makes it an excellent eco-sustainable material. Despite this, it is mainly used for disposable packaging, when in reality it could be exploited for many more uses, such as furniture for homes, shops or offices. Toys, chairs, armchairs, coffee tables, desks, displays and even bookcases can be reinvented if redesigned with a cardboard structure, but here the material comes into play because not all cartons are the same. For its products NaturDesign mainly uses triple-layer wavy virgin “naval” cardboard. Let’s see what it means and why these characteristics are fundamental: naval cardboard is a material extremely moisture resistant and is used for transport in the hold, hence its name. We come to the concept of virgin cardboard: the fiber used for the production of cardboard can be derived from recycled waste, or from virgin fiber coming 100% from cellulose (in the case of fiber guaranteed FSC by forests managed according to environmental sustainability criteria). With reuse, cellulose fibers have a tendency to lose their original performance, which is why the use of virgin fiber is necessary to ensure an important flow rate. Finally, let’s move on to the triple layer: this cardboard is consisting of 4 surfaces of flat paper (called “covers”) and 3 layers of corrugated paper that are inserted alternately and tied together with the use of natural starches (corn, peas and potatoes) that act as adhesives. The combined action of flat covers with the internal wave gives rigidity and resistance to the structure and triple wave cartoons are certainly the ones that have the best performance in terms of range. In short, the type of cardboard used is the fundamental basis for having a furniture that is ecological, but at the same time durable and solid.
2. Why is technology crucial for functional and robust cardboard furniture?
NaturDesign is a company that combines thetechnological innovation with a typically artisanal know-how and this means that, at the base of the success of its cardboard furniture, there are various aspects: the tailor-made design makes it possible to simulate furnishing solutions in detail, building them precisely to the specific needs of customers; the modern machinery used gives the possibility to exploit the full potential of cardboard, with precision cuts and waterproofing prints which make the products incredibly solid and wear-resistant; the innovative interlocking solutions are designed to make assembly simple and effective at the same time, without the need for glue (and therefore no formaldehyde emissions).
3. The experience factor: cardboard works, but you need to know it
The last aspect is perhaps the most trivial, but this does not mean that it should be underestimated: it may seem easy to build cardboard furniturebut we can assure you that, in order to have a product with high standardsit is necessary to be impeccable at every stage of production, from design to sourcing raw materials, from processing to assembly. NaturDesign can boast a decade of experience in the sector and, to get to beautiful, solid and durable products, it has had to experiment and innovate constantly. At the beginning some requests really seemed impossible missions, while now, with years of work behind us and countless realizations walking around the world, we can say it with confidence: cardboard is a fantastic sustainable furnishing solution … as long as you know it well!
We hope this article can help in clarifying some doubts and perplexities that often arise when it comes to cardboard furniture. For questions and requests do not hesitate to contact us and if you are enthusiastic users of cardboard furniture help us to defeat negative stereotypes by sharing your ecological furnishings on social media with the hashtag #sturdyascardboard!