(Photo Credit: Mrigank Sharma via Designboom)

Repurposing recycled cardboard for furniture and infastructure

More companies are utilizing sustainable materials for infrastructures and furnishings utilizing durable cardboard. A cafe in Mumbai joins the sustainable solutions revolution.

This Cardboard Cafe in Mumbai is made of 40,000 square feet of cardboard including the tables, chairs, light fixtures, and even the walls. The cardboard tables are durable, treated with wax to prevent stains while making maintenance easy.

The designs of the furnishings are created by precision cutting layers of cardboard to form the desired shape. The creators used cardboard for its acoustic-friendly, versatility, durable, insulating, biodegradable, and recyclable. The cafe might be a restaurant but it doubles as an art installation for a unique dining experience.

One of the coolest cafe concepts in India is at Cardboard cafe at BKC, Mumbai.

Thanks to @mehulved for the discovery & recommendation! pic.twitter.com/RMEkfsa9Mu

— Himanshu Khanna (@SparklinGuy) November 22, 2019

There are more companies utilizing more sustainable materials for their buildings and furnishing options. In Los Angeles, a skincare brand, Aesop, worked with the Brooks + Scarpa firm to design their store utilizing cardboard tubes. The 1,085 square-foot store is Aesop’s biggest location used six-inch round cardboard tubes sourced from costume shops and fashion houses.

The interior of the store is made completely out of recycled paper and reclaimed items including reclaimed tester skin for customers to test their beauty products. They also created storage furnishings from the cardboard tubes including cabinet drawers and product display stands.

A collective from Amsterdam, Fiction Factory, created a sustainable modular building system that’s constructed with cardboard components that can be assembled to create offices or houses in only a day. The pieces are easy to transport and can be used to extend or reduce the length of the building.