Vadim Kibardin creates furniture from recycled paper and cardboard

Russian designer Vadim Kibardin has spent the last 25 years creating mind blowing furniture collection made from recycled paper and cardboard. He started working with these materials after examining the increasing amount of waste and discovered that a mundane waste product like packaging could be used as a sculptural medium.

His products are all hand made from recycled carboard and are one of a kind. No molds are used in their creation and he shapes them himself. They are made by hand cutting then meticulously gluing and layering of over 30 sheets of cardboard. These pieces are a labour of love, and they help explain his belief that furniture should occupy a special place in our homes and our lives. A furniture choice should be significant and he expands on this further by saying, “the theory of less is more isn’t about spending less. It is about getting the greatest soul impact through careful editing and restraint”.

Kibardin has been working with recycled cardboard for over 25 years and in this time he estimates that he’s used 2,200 pound of recycled cardboard, which in turn has saved 19 trees. Whilst this may not sound significant, consider that those trees would have absorbed a total of 290 pounds of carbon dioxide from the air each year. Now that’s pretty impressive, wouldn’t you agree?

Have you seen the Confetti Range by Design by Them. They work using 100% recycled plastic. Read about their range here

Inspired by the sculptural shapes of organic structures and growth patterns in nature, there are no clean lines in his work and he believes that in this digital age, people crave imperfections. A handmade quality has much more resonance.

His highly collectable Black Collection are limited edition pieces and deserved of display in an art gallery. These intriguing and coveted chairs can be ordered online or can be made to order by request. Although with prices ranging up to well over $25k, they are intended to be admired for their stunning good looks rather than used every day, despite being said to be supremely comfortable. The range is featured regularly in exhibitions such as the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow and as part of the Dutch Design Week, Milan Design Week and many other notable events over the world.

His latest project, called the Totem furniture collection is a condensed and more affordable version of his creative vision. You have the choice of either buying a fully assembled stool or you have the opportunity to buy patterns and manuals so you can make it from scratch yourself! The Totem collection is a series of seating, made from your own collected and recycled cardboard and paper.

For more sustainable furniture, head over to our Products & Materials page

In the works is a new piece called the Peanut Bench, another piece of furniture made from recycled paper and cardboard however this requires no glue. It is slotted together to create a functional and eye catching piece of furniture.

For more information about his stunning work, check out his website here