Cardboard Café in Mumbai defines a new way to design eco-friendly interiors, completely made of cardboard, a recyclable and biodegradable material
In the lively Bandra Kurla Complex shopping district, one of Mumbai’s most sophisticated centres, lies the Cardboard café, designed by the Indian studio Nudes, founded by Nuru Karim. The interior of the café is almost entirely made of cardboard. From the walls to the seats, from the tables to the lampshades, all the furniture is made from large pieces of corrugated cardboard, designing sculptures. The cardboard, besides being biodegradable and versatile, features remarkable insulating and soundproofing properties.
An internal ‘landscape’ of floating geometries is the result, light but at the same time resistant to the main agents.
Cardboard has been processed with different procedures, so that it can withstand the wear and tear of a public place. The tabletops, for example, have a wax finish that prevents the absorption of liquids and facilitates maintenance. Another trick, was to enrich each panel of the room with about 50% air, to make it light and durable over time. The curved and grooved shapes of the furniture are made up of several layers of cardboard, cut at different angles to create the desired shape.
The idea behind Cardboard café is a deeper think about the role of design, materials and technologies for a sustainable future, protecting the available resources also through an intelligent project. [Text Annamaria Maffina]
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