Portable Modular Cardboard Furniture-V2

I’m interested in the practical applications of upcycled household materials. A few years ago, I worked on this project:

https://www.instructables.com/Portable-Flexible-Cardboard-Box-Furniture/.

We still use the bed-end bench at home and often take the foldable chairs in a box to parties or gatherings when we need extra seats. It’s been super handy to keep a box of them in the car trunk! With regular use, though, we’ve started noticing a few things that could be improved for broader usage.

First, flexibility vs stability! The previous design was very flexible. For instance, our bed-end bench can be expanded to include some modular units as storage compartments. However, this same flexibility compromises structural stability. For rectangular furniture shapes, the issue can be partially addressed by adding a lid that not only serves as a surface but also helps maintain the overall shape. For curved structures, though, creating a lid that both fits the form and folds compactly for transport is a more complex challenge.

Second, the issue of requiring a lid. It’s tricky to make lids that stay flat, fold up easily, and don’t bend too much. To keep the structure strong, the lids usually end up thicker or bulkier than we’d like. One simple fix is to use more units per structure—kind of like compressing an accordion. But that means balancing how complicated each module is to build, how much material it needs, and whether it can still work as a surface on its own.

Third, furniture size. The existing design isn’t sturdy enough to support stacking into taller structures. We aimed to find a way to make stacking more stable without losing flexibility.

This updated version isn’t meant to replace the original—it just adds more support where needed and makes it more adaptable to a wide variety of situations.

In addition, to address feedback from the original design regarding the need for uniform cardboard box sizes, the updated version works with any size of cardboard —no need for perfectly matching boxes!

Supplies

Cardboard

Binder clips (1.25")

Tape & Glue

Step 1: Cutting, Drawing, Scoring...repeat!

Cut all boards into strips 12″ wide. You can also tape pieces of cardboard together as needed.

Mark down a template on each board as shown. Each dotted line marks a creasing line.

Again, if the cardboard isn’t long enough to cover the full 36″ length (3 + 3 + 12 + 12 + 1.5 × 2 + 3, as shown), you can cut along any creasing line and later join the pieces with tape.

(Tip: In this design, using more units per structure means each unit doesn’t need to be as sturdy and only requires a single connected board. Tape pieces together as needed.)

Score the vertical lines to make folding easier later.

Step 2: Fold and Glue

Make mountain folds along all creasing lines.

Align AA′ with CC′ and tape them together. This double-layered 3″ strip reinforces the structure when expanded.

Align GG′ with CC′ and glue, leaving a 3″ overlap as shown.

When folding the modular unit along FF′, EE′ and GG′ should line up.

Repeat and repeat!

Step 3: Assemble-Simple Structure

Begin with two modular units. Each unit includes a 3"-wide strip (AA' overlapping CC', folded along BB'). Flip this strip from one unit onto the flattened section (EGG'G) of the second unit, as shown. Secure the top and bottom along the FF' crease line using binder clips.

Repeat this process until you have a 5-unit structure, then make a second 5-unit structure.

Interleave the two structures as shown, adding binder clips wherever needed. We refer to this configuration as a 1:1 structure, since the modular units alternate in pattern.

This creates a stool that requires no additional surface—unlike our previous design, which used a lid.

Step 4: Assemble: Curvy Structure-Circle, Ring, Arc, Arch...

To form curved structures, adjust the interleaving pattern of your modular units.

A circle can be created by linking a series of modules all facing the same direction (N:0).

A donut-shape can be formed by alternating three units from one strip with one unit from the other (3:1). For a larger ring, alternate two units from one strip with one from the other (2:1).

Step 5: Assemble: Wider & Taller Structure 1

To create a wider structure, one approach is to combine multiple parallel strips. For added stability, we used a simple trick to link two binder clips together, as shown.

Step 6: Assemble: Wider & Taller Structure 2

Another way to create a wider and taller structure is to place two strips back-to-back, as shown. Each binder clip should secure four parts—though you may need larger clips depending on the thickness of the cardboard.

Step 7: Explore!

We created an arch by combining the basic 1:1 pattern with the 3:1 pattern. We played around and created many interesting structures, all from a box of folded units!

Feel free to experiment with different combinations to explore new shapes!

The best part is, you can fold and pack all these into a box, to go!