Perhaps nobody loves cardboard as much as Yale Mechanical Engineering graduate Zach Rotholz. After years of working with cardboard at various other jobs and internships, he launched Chairigami; a company that sells recyclable, cheap and sturdy cardboard furniture that is perfect for temporary setups (or if you have a back of steel, a permanent setup).

Chairigami

“I have a long love affair with cardboard. I began by playing in large refrigerator boxes and teaching children in central park to engineer with cardboard. Later, I was a cardboard apprentice at Adaptive Design and designed equipment for disabled children. This evolved into a senior project in mechanical engineering and then into a pop-up storefront in New Haven, Connecticut. Now I’m ready to save the world, one cardboard chair at a time.”

-Zach Rotholz, CEO and Founder

To call it cardboard is actually a misnomer—this stuff hails from the world of military and industrial packaging. The ‘proper’ name is Triple Wall: a three-ply corrugated board made from 70% recycled cardboard and 30% FSC certified virgin fiber. Also, don’t assume you can just go hacking something like this with an X-Acto…in the video above, a jigsaw is clearly needed.

Perhaps the best application for the furniture could be for trade shows or temporary setups where there is little-to-no need for the furniture post-event. Due to it’s lightweight, flat-packing, and recyclable properties, it easily becomes the cheapest option for shipping and removal while still keeping a modern aesthetic. Additionally, to remain true to the origami spirit, the furniture is free of resins and glues and disassembles easily.