The Card Board Book

Yesterday we got a huge delivery of books from Germany to add to our ever expanding book collection. In anticipation of writing this blog on just one of them I found myself a little stuck - there really is so many great new one's it was tricky to highlight just one as a 'favourite'. However, after much deliberation I think I have it and it's possibly the most low-key, modest book of the lot about the seemingly limited subject of... Cardboard? Yes, we all know the stuff - the cheap, boring stuff that all your Ikea furniture comes in - but what's the big deal? The thing often overlooked about this readily-available material is just exactly how easy it is to cut, bend and stack with it without the need for any special tools or abilities (just some glue or tape really.) But WHY would you want to use cardboard exactly when you could probably just buy something 'better'? Well, CARD BOARD BOOK looks into exactly that and the wonderful creations that cardboard has produced, from art and toys to the more substantial - furniture and even buildings! It's a great read, here's a few of my favourite projects -

Flexiblelove - Chishen Chiu

Flexiblelove is an adaptable, accordian-like seat that can accomadate up to 16 people! It is manufactured in three different sizes and can be stretched to various lengths and shapes with a simple pull at each end. It's flexible quality is provided by recycled honeycomb cardboard, sandwiched between two end panels of post-industrial wood waste.

 Recession Case - Matt Shackleford of case-mate

Tough times provide all the more reason to protect your precious mobile devices. Matt Shakleford of Case Mate came up with the idea of a recession-proof case for iphone, with a pricetag of just $0.99! The concept was both a tongue-in-cheek response to challenging times, and a means of building awareness of the case-mate brand.

Magma Product Shop - Covent Garden, London - Julie Blum of InsideOutSystems

Magma, the British chain of small shops, sell art and design books as well as design related products. Its founders view shopping as an experience as opposed to merely a transaction, and so they commissioned the architects to concieve a new approach for the interior for their first product store and the result was designing entirely with cardboard - the shelves, counter, display furniture, hanging racks and partitions were all constructed with the same, folded, stacked or tubular treated cardboard.

Furniture for Cats - Marmalade Pet Care

Marmalade pet care's stylish cat scratchers allow felines to dig their claws into their very own cat-scaled furniture (rather than their owners expensive furniture!) They are handmade with thirty-fire per cent minimum post-consumer recycled cardboard and are strengthened by hardwood ends. As kitties claw the cardboard of the scratcher beds they soften for more comfortable naps.

This is a great book full of great innovations and is fully worth the read! Along with all our new titles it's available in store now!!

Katie