What Is Cardboard Furniture?

Cardboard furniture is various types of furnishings that are created using heavy paper stock as the base material. Because the corrugated cardboard can be shaped to resemble just about any item, it is possible to create lightweight replicas of any type of furniture. These lightweight replicas are often used for window displays, theater sets, and for staging homes for sale.

Using cardboard furniture to achieve a certain look at a low price is often an excellent option, assuming the furniture is not subjected to constant use. Understandably, a cardboard chair will not support more than a minimum amount of weight. In like manner, a cardboard table will not stand a great deal of use as a dinner table or as a means of displaying or holding a number of heavy objects. For this reason, this type of furniture should not be considered a viable option when the furnishings must be functional and durable as well as decorative.

Movie and stage sets often can be created with a considerable savings by using cardboard furniture in areas where the furniture will not actually be used by the performers. A cardboard desk and chair add ambiance to the stage and provide a surface where props such as a notebook or papers can be picked up and used by the performer. More traditional wooden furniture can be used in sections of the set where the actors will actually sit down or otherwise make use of the pieces.

Staging a home by using cardboard furniture can often help expedite a sale. Including a few simple pieces, such as a cardboard table, chair, and a bed can help provide potential buyers with an idea of how to make use of the rooms, while still making it possible to notice any amenities of the space, such as decorative molding or hardwood floors. When the home is sold, the temporary furniture can be packed up and moved out with ease.

Department stores can also make use of simple cardboard furniture to create effective window displays that call attention to the goods on sale rather than the furnishings themselves. Even elements such as cardboard glasses and bowls situated on a cardboard table can help set the scene so that consumers pay more attention to the oven and refrigerator that is the main focus of the display. Since this furniture does not suffer when sustaining a scratch and can be transported or stored with greater ease than wood furniture, these simple devices are often a staple in creating many types of displays throughout a retail business.

While this furniture is not intended for day-to-day use in the home, the pieces certainly can be effective in a number of other applications. It is possible to purchase prefabricated cardboard furniture as well as use online blueprints to create simple tables and other pieces for short term use.