'Grow your own chair' project challenges the consumption of materials

Why buy a lawn chair when you can grow one from the dirt?

That’s the question asked by design studio Nucleo with its TERRA! project, a series of grass furniture made from cardboard frames, soil and seed.

The armchairs and sofas require little skill to build, provided you’re adept at folding cardboard and shovelling dirt, and look as aesthetically pleasing as any shop bought seat, along with being pleasantly biophiliac and environmentally responsible.

“The process of consumption of objects in our homes is one which has historically been insensitive,” the creators say.

“These objects arrive in our homes as alien spaceships, of which we do not know anything of, and all we learn about them is what they want us to learn.

“Excluding the interface, these objects reveal themselves to a minimum. What is the best way to learn about an object? Surely to construct it. There is no greater form of intimacy with an object than to be its creator.

"TERRA! is not a finished product, but an idea; we provide the cardboard frame, the main ingredient, and the dirt can be found everywhere on our planet.”

Nuclei are currently seeking funding on Kickstarter to put into production the laser cut cardboard kits, and have made prototype larger designs that include a 3-seat sofa.