Fact: cats love cardboard boxes. Any kitty owner who has moved house will vouch for that. Turn your back for a minute and it's a case of the missing moggy, until it turns up an hour later tucked into its brand new flatpacked home. We laugh at how easy cats are to please, but maybe their furry little brains are onto something. Think about it: a cardboard house would be warm, fully-recyclable and it would only take a few muscular friends to move your whole dwelling to a new location. Genius!

They're not quite at full houses yet, but the clever crew behind KARTON have certainly embraced cardboard's nifty qualities. They make a range of furniture and décor that is affordable, light, but still super strong. Plus, it probably looks a whole lot better than any cardboard box construction you've ever attempted to make. We got in touch to pick their brains on how and why KARTON came to be.

Describe KARTON in a sentence.
KARTON is a totally new way of thinking about, using and living with cardboard furniture and accessories.

How did it all begin? Tell us a bit about the KARTON story.
Director Ralph Wollner stumbled upon an image of a cardboard stool online. This led him on a European fact-finding mission to meet with the best-of-the-best of cardboard furniture design. The best turned out to be German industrial designer, Peter Stange, and so the idea of bringing cardboard furniture to Australia – and KARTON – was born. The range has grown to include cardboard creations from Amsterdam, Israel and the USA.

What is your design ethos?
When taking on a new product, we are always trying to look at it through the eyes of a new customer. Is it practical? Is it affordable? Is it easy to assemble? Is it handsome? Is it fun?

What are the benefits of cardboard furniture?
It's practical, impossibly strong, light weight, affordable, fun and recyclable!

What are the drawbacks?
While resistant to splashes, it can be more vulnerable to large spills than some other types of laminated furniture.

Cardboard + humid weather – can they coexist?
Yes! We've been selling to happy customers in far north Queensland for two 'wet seasons' now, without any issues.

What's your favourite piece in the KARTON range?
The Paperpedic Bed – our customers must agree because it's our bestseller!

Each piece is a bit like a blank canvas. Have you ever gotten creative with some paint or pens on the furniture?
All the time! Some of the desks in our office are covered with notes, phone numbers, doodles and coffee cup rings. We have also had fun with spray paint and customised some of our office Berlin Method storage units.

What's next on the KARTON to-do list?
We're really focused on connecting with more Australian customers through our new showroom in Fitzroy and expanding into other cities. At the same time, we have some exciting new products on the way from the USA and Europe and hope to be announcing some big news very soon to all our international fans!

See KARTON's full range online or in person at 412 Brunswick St, Fitzroy. The paper-loving crew will also be exhibiting at boutique trade event Life Instyle, which will take over Melbourne's Royal Exhibition Building from August 1-4.