I can’t say I know too much about Melbourne. It’s one of Australia’s biggest cities, it’s located on the Bass Strait (just a hop, skimp, and a jump across from the island of Tasmania), and it’s got some interesting architecture. The Coops Shot Tower is topped by an amazing conical glass roof, and the Great Hall of the National Gallery of Victoria is capped by a stained glass ceiling—apparently, those in Melbourne have a penchant for looking up. They also have a tendency to look forward. One such future-minded Melbournian is architect Toby Horrocks, creator of Freefold Furniture, a flat pack, recyclable line of multi-purpose boxes and modules.

Log Bookshelf. Designed by Toby Horrocks of Freefold Furniture.

Flatpack Furniture by Toby Horrocks

The first item Horrocks created, Freefold 01, served his own selfish purposes: one-piece boxes that could hold books, televisions, or clothing (ideal for those in transit). This he made as an answer to his own moving dilemma. After developing a smaller unit, Freefold 02, Horrocks is now branching out with his Log Bookshelf. In the shape of a fallen log that intersects rectangles of various sizes—representing buildings (like those of Melbourne’s skyline perhaps)—Log Bookshelf is constructed of 300 digitally cut pieces. It gets built without glue, so you can enjoy the recycled materials completely—without being disturbed by the awful, noxious fumes of most adhesives. If you know someone who’s particularly sensitive to toxic substances (a canary in a coal mine), then Log Bookshelf is a great furniture idea. The piece includes a wonderful spot for sitting that’s flanked by flat surfaces (ideal repositories for mugs of cocoa or steins of beer). But its unique beauty—how the color and texture of the cardboard mimics bark, the way the cut material resembles the organic twists of branches—is the real draw.

Freefold 01. Designed by Toby Horrocks of Freefold Furniture.

Freefold 02. Designed by Toby Horrocks of Freefold Furniture.

Via Inhabitat.