accordion style
this trend is really popping up everywhere. i get around 150 new design submissions a day and i'm noticing that at least 5-10 of them are made of collapsible paper products that fold out to become seating or side tables. this particular project, the newspaper extendable bench by charles kaisin, is another great example of the heart of the trend: reusing materials to create new products. charles used recycled newspapers to create this extendable bench that can easily be refolded and stored away. the designer claims it has the strength of wood so i'd be really intrigued to test one of these guys out. i've used products similar to this made of cardboard and they're suprisingly sturdy for people are varying weights. you can click here to find on the newspaper extendable bench.
Labels: furniture
posted by design*sponge @ 3.5.06
7 Comments:
I think it's great that it is eco-friendly, and I really like Green design and try to reduce, reuse, recycle in my own life, but.... I'm just not finding this stuff to be very attractive. I suppose it has its place, but I really wouldn't want this look in my home.
It feels a bit like your kid asking you to save all of your newspapers for a week to bring to school, then the kids in class all glued it together - "Hey Mom, look what we made!"
It also reminds me of my Middle School shop class where we were asked to make a bridge using only toothpicks and then see whose bridge would support the most weight. The bridge my group designed won for holding the most weight, in fact, our shop teacher was able to stand on it. But the bridge was not attractive.
Moral of the story? New use of recycled materials + sturdiness doesn't necessarily equal pretty.
maggie
i see your point, though i'd have to say i think this would look at home in a number of loft apartments i've seen in ny, though in a more traditional house it might look a bit out of place. i think all those folds are gorgeous, but my cats would, too so i don't think we'll be getting one any time soon ;)
d*s
I do live in a loft and not in a more traditional house. I have stained concrete floors, exposed beams, tall windows... and I still don't think find this attractive. My furnishings are contemporary and modern, and I feel a piece like this would look cheap and out of place. I don't live in a "more traditional house", but agree a piece like this wouldn't work in that type of setting either.
oosh! maggie i didnt mean to imply you did or that traditional is somehow less hip than a loft.
either way, i still don't think they look cheap. i've seen so many in person and their intricacy really comes across as spectacular in person. but hey, to each his own.
d*s
(writing from a more traditional apt)
Well, I live in a more traditional type of house...but I think it all depends on the use of the piece. We actually have fairly traditional furniture throughout, but I can see this working in a playroom or an office. It isn't perhaps the most polished of pieces, but I like the amount of color and texture that the piece introduces. I also think it's nice that you can change the size/shape without really altering the fundamental feel of it.
I have to agree with Maggie that the idea is a good one but it's just not really pretty. Of course, I don't know how much it costs. If it were say, 50 bucks, it might be a nice thing to have around and pull out if you need extra seating and the rest of the time could store it away. But I have a hunch it is a lot more expensive than $50 (if you can actually buy this yet). If it does cost a lot more than that I would rather put that money towards a piece of "real" furniture.
Dahling, have you seen my Mont Blanc?
But I think it would change a sterile, industrial loft into a personalized one.
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