Introduction: Kraftwerk Cardboard Chair

About: Tovdesign is a multidisciplinary design studio based in Belgium, founded in 2002 by Tom De Vrieze, offering design consultancy, (rapid) protoyping and VR immersion. Awarded with Belgium's leading design award …

Notice : I used to sell this manual and patterns but now I am offering them for free,
so some remarks in the manual about 'further information' and 'refund policy' are not applicable anymore.


'Despite' the use of foam, today (2017), the chairs are still in use, so durable.
Please be nice on comments.

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Indoor stool 'Kraftwerk' (2008) weighs just under 4 lb, and to keep it’s structure is filled with
CFC-free polyurethane expansion foam bottles, allowing it to hold up to 209 lb.

The chair uses only 4 mm cardboard thickness, foam and 2 wall brackets.
Its name arises from the use of cardboard and kraftpaper-tape.

Weight : 1,8 kg / 3.97 lb
Maximum load 95 kg / 209.4 lb
Dimensions : W×H×D : 510 × 844 × 566 mm / 20.08 x 33.23 x 22.28 in

Step 1: Kraftwerk : the Files

Start with reading the manual, then you can select your type of paper format A4 or US letter.

Due to the absence of a plotter, I split up the unfolded patterns into format A4 or US letter so you can print them
with your home printer, a lot of work, but for me it was the cheapest way to build this chair.

Total cost of the materials will be around 20 euro/25 USD, which you can find in your local store,
or just be creative and use some recycled cardboard boxes, parts, ...

Good luck !

Step 2: Some Additional Info

If you’re looking for some extra cushioning, I used to suggest Ikea’s Iris chair pad,
which matches perfectly and gives optimal comfort, but I am not sure if they are still selling it.


You can pimp your chairs by using wallpaper, ...

Papercraft Contest 2017

Participated in the
Papercraft Contest 2017