Inhabitat » NEWSPAPER EXTENDABLE BENCH

June 7, 2006

NEWSPAPER EXTENDABLE BENCH

by Evelyn Lee

It’s not uncommon to have a stack of newspapers sitting around; but it took the ingenuity of designer Charles Kaisin to turn a pile of old news into durable seating. The brilliance behind Kaisin’s Newspaper Extendable Bench is the lack of processes required to turn the raw materials into a functional piece of furniture (that still resembles its original form).

Through a varied gluing process, Kaisin derived a way to create a beautiful honeycomb structure that is as strong as wood. The method is easy to replicate, giving way to mass production at minimal cost. The strategy behind his design was to reuse and recycle newspaper in a very visual way that makes people aware and respectful of environmental issues. The Newspaper Extendable Bench does just that, putting a lasting, artistic spin on everyday news.

+ Charles Kaisin Design - Via: Yanko Design

14 Responses to “NEWSPAPER EXTENDABLE BENCH”

Adam Says:

June 7th, 2006 at 6:59 am

Brilliant.

Sean Says:

June 7th, 2006 at 7:01 am

I’ve seen bookcase kits made of cardboard for sale on the Internet, and this made me think that it would be a great concept to design a house in which all the furniture is recycled and disposable. It would be a nifty project for elementary school kids in art class to make furniture out of “garbage” that the school could use.

El Diablo De Verde Says:

June 10th, 2006 at 10:27 am

I think this is awesome. How does it do with spills, though? I really want one when/if it becomes available.

rdoell Says:

June 19th, 2006 at 9:41 pm

Yes, it recycled newspapers and it is a cool idea, but how many horses had to die in order to make it ‘like wood’ ? :)

Jill Says:

June 19th, 2006 at 10:11 pm

Uh horses? What?

No-one uses horses in glue in this day and age - that’s an urban legend. Most glues are made of synthetic chemicals and resins. I’ve heard that some types of glues use collagen which is a by-product from the cattle/meat industry. If there is any animal in your glue - it is more likely to be a cow. However, unless you are the type of person who boycotts leather, it’s hard to find issue with this. I’m a vegetarian, and I think this is kind of gross but at least it makes better use of all the “parts” that come from the nasty meat industry. At least its recycling?? ;)

Lindsay Says:

February 20th, 2007 at 10:37 am

I want one. But I too would be very interested to know what glue is used… more for off-gassing reasons. That’s a lot of surface area, and therefore a lot of glue, and you’d be breathing it. I’m guessing the designer has used something relatively eco-friendly. I agree with the comment above… it seems a good used for collagen-based glues, which at least aren’t derived from petrochemicals or other synthetics with toxic production methods. As for spills, I have something like this and you just use trays or plexi or glass squares on top. It supports them just fine.

Ronnie Massey Says:

February 20th, 2007 at 12:38 pm

May we use this picture for a powerpoint presentation. It will only be used in the classroom?

AlexM Says:

April 7th, 2007 at 4:54 am

I remember as a kid that we used to make glu/paste from rice, its very slow drying but works good enough for paper/cardboard, all you had to do was boil rice in water a 1 to 10 ratio, while grinding and mixing until you create a consistent paste. the trick would be to apply the adhesive.. maybe build a silk screen for the adhesive patterns?

Excellent idea for some emergency furniture.

greg Says:

April 23rd, 2007 at 6:43 am

how much

Inhabitat » MOLO SOFTSEATING: Expandable Honeycomb Chair Says:

May 12th, 2007 at 11:38 pm

[…] paper furniture, but in the last year we have seen the rise of the Expandable Folding Chair, Newspaper Extendable Bench, Cardboard Furniture, and a variety of flatpak honeycomb […]

Las exclusivas de hoy serán tu ‘chaise long’ de mañana « CuatroTipos Says:

September 4th, 2007 at 1:10 pm

[…] “Newspaper Extendable Bench” de Charles […]

Las exclusivas de hoy serán tu “chaise long” de mañana « CuatroTipos Says:

September 5th, 2007 at 4:32 am

[…] “Newspaper Extendable Bench” de Charles […]

matthew Says:

January 14th, 2008 at 6:02 pm

this is a good idea but would not last long so you would have to replace it and in the long run this will do more harme to the enviroment the lets say a wooden chair so for that reson i dont belive that they will mass produce the item. but it is a good idea mabey it could work will another material. i like it . but would not last very long