(Check out our complete collection of Unusual, Creative and Transforming Furniture.)
[Above: flat pack book case design by Jeremy Grove]
Flat pack furniture is exactly what it sounds like: furniture that starts out entirely as sheets of wood, metal or even cardboard. In addition to being clever and simply aesthetically awesome, flat pack furniture is also eco-friendly and highly creative. Without further ado, here are 20 more examples of incredibly compact and transforming flat-pack furniture for cramped urban living.
Designer Keiji Ashizawa has applied flat-pack design principles in developing his sleek set of furniture objects including the above chairs and stools. Like giant versions of 3D toy puzzles or model cars, there is a playful aspect to these powerful industrial-produced sturdy-yet-elegant metal designs.
RawStudio is the brainchild of Nick Rawcliffe, a talented designer with an impressive resume. He studied at the Bauhaus and Royal College of Art before moving to work in Japan. His furniture work is as eclectic as his background, which is difficult to pin down stylistically between his studio’s slotted and hanging chairs.
In the same puzzle-piece tradition of the above examples in wood and metal David Graas’s stool and chair designs take the best possible advantage of the strengths of cardboard to create sturdy furniture that also has a strangely unique style and come in a compact form.
The desFurniture group designs impressively simple pieces of furniture that “push the boundaries of efficiency while maintaining craftsmanship.” Much of their work is created out of a single sheet of plywood and requires no fasteners, adhesives or complex tools. These combine aspects of portable, elegant, simple and ecological furniture design. Shown above are a single-panel lounger, stool, chair and bookcase.
Similar in concept to desFurniture, students of the Ryerson School of Furniture Design created a series of creative furniture pieces each from a single 4×4 foot sheet of plywood. The above desk, laptop stand and tables were each created using this strictly limited amount of material and demonstrate an impressive range of possibilities. 
So now that you’ve seen the possibilities of flat-pack design, why not build outsdie the box with a cool flat-pack house? Talk about a great conversation piece! Alternatively, for something more within reach, how about a creative flat-pack book shelf
Previously: Convertible Urban Furniture
Next: Even More Convertible Urban Furniture
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55 Comments
January 14th, 2008 at 12:25 am
Where do i buy them?
January 14th, 2008 at 1:27 am
Good question! Some are for sale, some are art projects or concept pieces. Links to each project or set of projects by one group or artist are in the paragraph below the relevant set of images.
January 14th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
forget buying them where do i fine that pattern to send to my cnc machine at work?
January 14th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
Clever stuff, I like it! ;-)
January 14th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
I liked them overall, some seemed impractical, others just not comfortable.
I guess I’m getting old
January 14th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
Very talented furniture designer, i love the designs, new and exciting . I am just wondering there were no prices mentioned.
January 14th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
Any chance the drawings for any of these are published somewhere?
Thanks!
January 14th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
The flat-pack house, if made with strong, durable, and weather proof materials, could provide affordable housing to many parts of the world where people are not as fortunate as you and I. Easy to ship too.
Very interesting post.
January 15th, 2008 at 7:52 am
Some of it probably isn’t very comfortable … but all of it is attractive and extemely clever.
January 15th, 2008 at 10:04 am
There is a place in Brick Lane, London. Who makes these type of flat packs, they even give a carrying handel for most stuff you buy. You can see them here. http://www.untothislast.co.uk/
January 15th, 2008 at 11:53 pm
Still waiting on the fold-out real doll… for compact storage of course.
January 16th, 2008 at 1:06 am
here’s a bookcase, same idea.
http://www.piegato.com/
January 16th, 2008 at 11:06 am
Great blog!
If the economics don’t work, recycling efforts won’t either.
Http://LivePaths.com blogs about innovative entrepreneurs that make money selling recycled items, provide green services or help us reduce our dependency on non renewable resources. These includes some very cool Green online ventures, great new technologies, startups and investments opportunities.
January 18th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
Talk about ingenious, take that IKEA!
January 18th, 2008 at 11:23 pm
I like this concept. And take a closer look at Aalto’s chairs http://www.alvaraalto.fi/alvar.....nglish.htm
January 24th, 2008 at 7:53 am
I like it. Time to pick me up some plywood…
January 26th, 2008 at 10:20 am
Why do designers think that people with small flats want to sit on really shit flat pack furniture?
January 26th, 2008 at 10:22 am
Get a grip people is looks shit! actually you are right take it to ikea its right up their street.
January 28th, 2008 at 9:46 am
عجب!!!
عجبستاÙâ€
March 5th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
The chairs don’t seem very comfortable. Plus I wonder with no adhesive, screws, or other fasteners how sturdy these flat pack furniture pieces would be.
Any experience with actually using these?
March 28th, 2008 at 8:47 am
Nano Age Furniture, Everything is going to be deconstructured !!!
May 24th, 2008 at 2:26 am
Fabric sofa
our label is leather sofa and fabric sofa based on wooden frames. Their modern ‘knock-off’ designed leather and fabric sofa & sectional designs are carefully selected to have an impact. Our label is leather sofa and fabric sofa based on wooden frames.
http://www.denelli.co.uk
June 2nd, 2008 at 1:29 am
I mean http://www.denelli.co.uk for modern furniture. Great design, for modern living.
as seen on grand designs may exhibition
July 2nd, 2008 at 7:23 am
nice design…where do i buy them ? or i will create by myself….
July 16th, 2008 at 4:26 pm
These are some great designs!
October 13th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
Wow… Very cool stuff. Really like the hanging swing chairs/benches. Too bad summer’s over. Maybe next year. :)
October 14th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
awesome,
Very talented furniture designer, i love the designs, colour combination, bla bla….., new and exciting .
I am just wondering there were no prices mentioned,r these furnitures durable, and weather proof ,where do i buy them………..
love to know…………………
February 4th, 2009 at 11:37 am
they are awesome
March 17th, 2009 at 11:11 am
really what a nice designs here i do seee very nice
April 9th, 2009 at 1:26 pm
The Ryerson students are from the School of Interior Design. There is no furniture design school there.
April 13th, 2009 at 8:51 am
Great designs. Wow. Also check out Ralph Pasquet on Facebook. Fantastic stuff using branches and natural wood.
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