Paper is one of the most produced as well as the most discarded product in the world. Woojai Lee is a Korean designer based in Eindhoven who is giving new life to the old newspapers by remodelling them as furniture and building bricks.
Lee has introduced a Paper Bricks line which consists of bricks, coffee tables and benches fashioned from old discarded periodicals.
The soft, marble-like effect of the Paper Bricks makes it impossible to guess that the furniture is made out of old papers.
Lee said that the Paper Bricks are as strong as the real bricks and can be stacked as desired. The recycling of the paper diminishes its quality, and the fibres continue to grow smaller. Therefore, the Korean designer was inspired to turn the discarded old papers into a new and useful building material.
The artist developed small benches, tables, and bricks. These Paper furniture and bricks resemble the concrete masonry units. The paper blocks can be cut, sanded, and milled like the regular wood.
To make the paper bricks, old newspapers are turned into a pulp and mixed with wood glue. The paper-pulp and the glue mixture is then moulded into shape. Once set, the bricks are removed from the moulds to dry. The edges are sanded to give a smooth finish to the paper furniture. The end product is the 2-inch-thick 4 x 11.8inches bricks sporting a unique marbled look.
Woojai Lee’s Paper Bricks creation are being displayed at the Graduation Show of the Design Academy of Eindhoven. This exhibition is a part of the Dutch Design Week, held in the Netherlands from 22-30 October 2016.
