Furniture

Rather than send those old Kallax shelving units to landfill, you may soon be able to pocket some extra cash from Ikea. It has decided to dip a toe into the used furniture marketplace with an online platform named Ikea Preowned.

A new materials technique that takes cues from Grandma's yarn bag and cutting-edge tech has the potential to automatically build whole furniture sets – and the fabric that covers them. Then, they can be unraveled to use again in a totally different way.

We don't usually want our furniture to be flammable, but this stool actually encourages it. Made from potatoes and sawdust, it's designed to be thrown in a fireplace for warmth once it reaches the end of its usefulness.

Sitting at an office desk all day, every day is generally considered to be bad for our health. Standing desks are here to get you on your feet while working, but the Dual Lift Standing Desk is designed to give your screen an extra lift as well.

After years of releasing one origami kayak after another, Oru has really stepped out of its comfort zone and diversified. This time, the company puts its industrial-origami skills into a newly launched line of portable camping furniture.

The Expandy is a single piece of furniture that can be expanded width-wise to serve three purposes. Simply by pulling on it from one end, users are able to convert it from an armchair to a loveseat to a sofa.

The all-new Camp Couch is a different style of camping furniture. A full cushioned love seat, it's built to adventure beyond glamping resorts and campsites. It folds up quickly, straps to one's back and travels by foot to more remote scenery.

Chinese architectural firm Partyfriendship Studio has constructed a unique workshop space using CNC panels, where the individuals can freely design and build their own furniture creations without the need for traditional tools, nails, or adhesives.

At the same time it's been launching portable kayaks, Oru has been quietly working to apply its origami construction to other products. It's now introducing camp furniture that packs small and flat, quickly building into a multifunctional campsite.

A lot of work goes into creating wooden objects like furniture, but some scientists are rethinking the process. They've created a wood-based ink that can be 3D printed into flat shapes, which then morph into more complex 3D forms as they dry out.

The Ikea Kreativ digital design tool lets customers scan a room using a smartphone camera, remove existing furniture and try out new products from the Swedish home furnishing giant's catalog in a virtual recreation of their living space.

BIG is often at its most interesting when mixing contrasting ideas. The Plus furniture factory in Norway boasts impressive sustainable design and also hosts hiking and camping facilities – even welcoming visitors onto its green roof.