Photos: 'Green' furniture cut out from cardboard

Online furniture store Cardboard Design launched less than 16 months ago and attracts about 4,000 visitors each month. Its Manhattan store opened late last year. Sales rose by 60 percent within the past 3 months thanks, in part, to a booming demand for "green" products, according to the company.

For its tables, desks, and children's toy forts, Cardboard Design creates die-cut shapes that ship in a flat box and are assembled like puzzle pieces. No screws or toxic glues are involved. One piece of furniture might weigh only 10 pounds. The company manufactures everything in the United States and bills the local angle as another sustainable aspect.

"The misconception about cardboard furniture is that it's always going to be cheap," said President and Creative Director Cathy Henszey. "The idea that you're using something that's been used before is what it's all about."

The company uses mostly honeycomb cardboard, which bears enough weight that even companies that make shipping palettes are increasingly using the material instead of wood. This type of cardboard is made with kraft paper, which includes waste materials such as cardboard boxes, straw, and newspapers. Waste from the manufacture of kraft paper is returned to paper mills for reuse. Not only is cardboard already made of recycled bits, but it's also recyclable itself.

Designers at Cardboard Design use Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator to illustrate the forms, which are then sent to people using CAD software for construction.

Because honeycomb cardboard is durable and soundproof, some designers believe it would be ideal in building construction. Coatings can help with flame resistance.