4 ms·

I am surprised that cardboard (corrugated fibreboard) furniture is not more common. It is an impressively durable and strong material despite its low cost. We c

I am surprised that cardboard (corrugated fibreboard) furniture is not more common. It is an impressively durable and strong material despite its low cost. We could all have the option of cheap, lightweight, easy-to-move, utilitarian, eco-friendly furniture. There are only a few companies, like https://www.chairigami.com/ https://www.chairigami.com/ , that produce such furniture.

quickthrower2 3y ago
Water/dampness might be an issue?
jfim 3y ago
IKEA has some pieces, such as the lack table (https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/lack-side-table-white-30449908/ https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/lack-side-table-white-30449908/).
- expertentipp 3y ago
  This bloody table... it's everywhere and it chips and disintegrates under slightest stress. One expects to be able to sit on a table at least. Be careful what you wish for when asking for a "furnished apartment".
  - roflyear 3y ago
    Yah this table is awful. But it is $14 I guess. Lol.
mutex_man 3y ago
I just checked their website and their prices are insane. $250 for a cardboard bookcase? I can get significantly nicer stuff for less than that at a bunch of other places.
- GlassOwAter 3y ago
  Lol they say their 3 ply cardboard is the important part. I might have to make my own furniture. https://www.packagewarehouse.com/boxes/cardboard-boxes/corrugated-cardboard/triplewall-corrugated-cardboard-sheets/ https://www.packagewarehouse.com/boxes/cardboard-boxes/corru...
  - tomcam 3y ago
    Interestingly 4x8 1/2" OSB at my Home Depot is the same price as their 4x8 sheets: https://www.homedepot.com/b/Lumber-Composites-Plywood/1-2/N-5yc1vZbqm7Z1z0mcqn?NCNI-5&searchRedirect=1%2F2%20plywood%204x8&semanticToken=k26r10r00f2200000000_202310010914178576011783316_us-east4-zr4m%20k26r10r00f2200000000%20%3E%20st%3A%7B1%2F2%20plywood%204x8%7D%3Ast%20ml%3A%7B24%7D%3Aml%20nr%3A%7B1%2F2%20plywood%204x8%7D%3Anr%20nf%3A%7Bn%2Fa%7D%3Anf%20qu%3A%7B1%2F2%20plywood%204x8%7D%3Aqu%20ie%3A%7B0%7D%3Aie%20qr%3A%7B1%2F2%20plywood%204x8%7D%3Aqr https://www.homedepot.com/b/Lumber-Composites-Plywood/1-2/N-... Plus, fewer cockroaches per this appealing comment https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37722691 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37722691
bluedays 3y ago
Just go to Ikea if you want your bed made out of cardboard
roflyear 3y ago
It's because if they get wet at all they are destroyed.
dexwiz 3y ago
Bugs. Cockroaches and similar bugs love to lay eggs in the corrugation. It’s dark, may be slightly damp, and well protected. Also it’s practically impossible to tell until they have hatched. If you look up people raising big populations they often use corrugated board as an egg substrate.
leoedin 3y ago
As others have said, IKEA has been making furniture out of cardboard for years. Cut into the wrong bit of any of their cheap melamine faced furniture and it's just corrugated cardboard inside. They use little bits of chipboard here and there for stronger joints. Personally I hate that kind of furniture. When furniture made of chipboard, particle board, fibreboard etc is damaged it's basically scrap. Real wood ages nicely - it's more robust to start with and the damage it does take often adds to the aesthetic. I've been slowly getting rid of chipboard furniture, replacing it with pieces that stand on their own. A 70 year old table, a 100 year old coffee table, or building it myself from nice wood. It's lovely when your furniture brings you joy.
- PMunch 3y ago
  Same here! Solid wood furniture, despite being more expensive and considerably heavier, is just so much nicer. You can cut into them to modify them, you can sand them down and refinish them, and they don't turn to scrap as soon as someone dings it or god forbid you tighten a screw too hard.. An extra component to the whole thing is fire safety. Compared to proper wood furniture these fiber- and cardboard pieces are much more flammable. It's to the point where fire departments are considering new guidelines for leaving burning buildings because the time to raging fire has been shortened so much by modern furniture and fabrics.
danpalmer 3y ago
> There are only a few companies, like https://www.chairigami.com/ https://www.chairigami.com/ , that produce such furniture. As someone moving quite a bit at the moment and looking for cheap, quick, recyclable furniture, I was excited, but Chairigami was quite disappointing. It seems extremely expensive for what it is? I know how much cardboard costs, with markup, and this is a long way off. Their profit margin on this furniture must be vast. Not exactly the accessibility that I was expecting. Others have mentioned the issues with this sort of construction and that all limits lifespan. Even the thin veneers that Ikea put on top of cardboard furniture will improve lifespan by multiples, and yet Ikea is typically priced significantly lower than Chairigami. I can only conclude that Chairigami is effectively conducting a form of virtue-signalling. They're luxury goods – vast profit margins resting on design and "vibes" – rather than disruptive goods changing accessibility environmental responsibility for the masses.
- rst4455 3y ago
  There is an obscene amount of wealth being amassed while masking as virtue-signalling. So many eco-friendly product variations at an unacceptable markup vs. production cost, and people are gobbling it all up without blinking, while being lightning-fast at pointing fingers at someone who tossed a tin can in the wrong recycle bin. I think there should be more whistleblowing going around, personally it irks me how many people are profiteering from the eco movement.
  - danpalmer 3y ago
    This is so true. Another example is the many packaging-free/plastic-free shops cropping up in cities. I can buy a plastic packet of oats for £0.80 for 1kg, or I can buy without a packet at one of those shops for £5/kg. Same for rice. Same for flour. etc. No one is going to have an impact on the environment charging >5x for products because no one in their right mind will switch, especially for undifferentiated commodities like food basics. These shops are only appealing to people with too much money and too little sense. There are a few cases where products actually do need to be priced higher to price in all the externalities that aren't being accounted for at the moment, but even in those cases I believe that meeting consumers where they're at right now, providing value and changing behaviour, and then advocating for change when you have market share, is likely to be a much better approach in the long run.
expertentipp 3y ago
If you want expensive cardboard furniture simply buy it at IKEA.

quickthrower2 3y ago

Water/dampness might be an issue?

jfim 3y ago

IKEA has some pieces, such as the lack table (https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/lack-side-table-white-30449908/ https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/lack-side-table-white-30449908/).

expertentipp 3y ago
This bloody table... it's everywhere and it chips and disintegrates under slightest stress. One expects to be able to sit on a table at least. Be careful what you wish for when asking for a "furnished apartment".
- roflyear 3y ago
  Yah this table is awful. But it is $14 I guess. Lol.

mutex_man 3y ago

I just checked their website and their prices are insane. $250 for a cardboard bookcase? I can get significantly nicer stuff for less than that at a bunch of other places.

GlassOwAter 3y ago
Lol they say their 3 ply cardboard is the important part. I might have to make my own furniture. https://www.packagewarehouse.com/boxes/cardboard-boxes/corrugated-cardboard/triplewall-corrugated-cardboard-sheets/ https://www.packagewarehouse.com/boxes/cardboard-boxes/corru...
- tomcam 3y ago
  Interestingly 4x8 1/2" OSB at my Home Depot is the same price as their 4x8 sheets: https://www.homedepot.com/b/Lumber-Composites-Plywood/1-2/N-5yc1vZbqm7Z1z0mcqn?NCNI-5&searchRedirect=1%2F2%20plywood%204x8&semanticToken=k26r10r00f2200000000_202310010914178576011783316_us-east4-zr4m%20k26r10r00f2200000000%20%3E%20st%3A%7B1%2F2%20plywood%204x8%7D%3Ast%20ml%3A%7B24%7D%3Aml%20nr%3A%7B1%2F2%20plywood%204x8%7D%3Anr%20nf%3A%7Bn%2Fa%7D%3Anf%20qu%3A%7B1%2F2%20plywood%204x8%7D%3Aqu%20ie%3A%7B0%7D%3Aie%20qr%3A%7B1%2F2%20plywood%204x8%7D%3Aqr https://www.homedepot.com/b/Lumber-Composites-Plywood/1-2/N-... Plus, fewer cockroaches per this appealing comment https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37722691 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37722691

bluedays 3y ago

Just go to Ikea if you want your bed made out of cardboard

roflyear 3y ago

It's because if they get wet at all they are destroyed.

dexwiz 3y ago

Bugs. Cockroaches and similar bugs love to lay eggs in the corrugation. It’s dark, may be slightly damp, and well protected. Also it’s practically impossible to tell until they have hatched. If you look up people raising big populations they often use corrugated board as an egg substrate.

leoedin 3y ago

As others have said, IKEA has been making furniture out of cardboard for years. Cut into the wrong bit of any of their cheap melamine faced furniture and it's just corrugated cardboard inside. They use little bits of chipboard here and there for stronger joints. Personally I hate that kind of furniture. When furniture made of chipboard, particle board, fibreboard etc is damaged it's basically scrap. Real wood ages nicely - it's more robust to start with and the damage it does take often adds to the aesthetic. I've been slowly getting rid of chipboard furniture, replacing it with pieces that stand on their own. A 70 year old table, a 100 year old coffee table, or building it myself from nice wood. It's lovely when your furniture brings you joy.

PMunch 3y ago
Same here! Solid wood furniture, despite being more expensive and considerably heavier, is just so much nicer. You can cut into them to modify them, you can sand them down and refinish them, and they don't turn to scrap as soon as someone dings it or god forbid you tighten a screw too hard.. An extra component to the whole thing is fire safety. Compared to proper wood furniture these fiber- and cardboard pieces are much more flammable. It's to the point where fire departments are considering new guidelines for leaving burning buildings because the time to raging fire has been shortened so much by modern furniture and fabrics.

danpalmer 3y ago

> There are only a few companies, like https://www.chairigami.com/ https://www.chairigami.com/ , that produce such furniture. As someone moving quite a bit at the moment and looking for cheap, quick, recyclable furniture, I was excited, but Chairigami was quite disappointing. It seems extremely expensive for what it is? I know how much cardboard costs, with markup, and this is a long way off. Their profit margin on this furniture must be vast. Not exactly the accessibility that I was expecting. Others have mentioned the issues with this sort of construction and that all limits lifespan. Even the thin veneers that Ikea put on top of cardboard furniture will improve lifespan by multiples, and yet Ikea is typically priced significantly lower than Chairigami. I can only conclude that Chairigami is effectively conducting a form of virtue-signalling. They're luxury goods – vast profit margins resting on design and "vibes" – rather than disruptive goods changing accessibility environmental responsibility for the masses.

rst4455 3y ago
There is an obscene amount of wealth being amassed while masking as virtue-signalling. So many eco-friendly product variations at an unacceptable markup vs. production cost, and people are gobbling it all up without blinking, while being lightning-fast at pointing fingers at someone who tossed a tin can in the wrong recycle bin. I think there should be more whistleblowing going around, personally it irks me how many people are profiteering from the eco movement.
- danpalmer 3y ago
  This is so true. Another example is the many packaging-free/plastic-free shops cropping up in cities. I can buy a plastic packet of oats for £0.80 for 1kg, or I can buy without a packet at one of those shops for £5/kg. Same for rice. Same for flour. etc. No one is going to have an impact on the environment charging >5x for products because no one in their right mind will switch, especially for undifferentiated commodities like food basics. These shops are only appealing to people with too much money and too little sense. There are a few cases where products actually do need to be priced higher to price in all the externalities that aren't being accounted for at the moment, but even in those cases I believe that meeting consumers where they're at right now, providing value and changing behaviour, and then advocating for change when you have market share, is likely to be a much better approach in the long run.

expertentipp 3y ago

If you want expensive cardboard furniture simply buy it at IKEA.