Belgian designer Jens Praet, a past contributor to Droog, is taking his Shredded Collection to the next level by producing larger furniture. His pieces, which are made from shredded paper, were quite popular with the Droog clientele. Now Praet is hoping to grow the Shredded Collection by producing a six foot table: a mammoth collection of discarded and deserted magazines (copies of Fast Company, Capitol File, Robb Report, Art in America, and Details, to be precise). While the table is uniform from afar, a closer look reveals the slivers of shredded glossy paper that work to make up the Shredded Table. Within the table, an aluminum skeleton carries the weight and maintains the structural integrity. The rest of the table is constructed of the magazine bits mixed with clear epoxy; this mixture gets poured into a mold. You can see the new additions to the Shredded Collection at Industry Gallery in Washington, DC, where they’re on view until late February.

6′ Table. Designed by Jens Praet.

Recycled Magazines Create Conversation Pieces

I think the next step for Jens Praet is to turn his Shredded Collection into a flat-pack, do-it-yourself kit. Imagine the possibilities for getting rid of your own collection of forgotten magazines–how satisfying it would be to create a personalized table out of years of previous reading material. This might even be a cathartic affair, like cleaning out your closets or organizing your photographs. In terms of emotional release, the home version of the Shredded Table may be the best prescription for angst-filled writers. The bards could accomplish more (in less time) than years’ worth of psychotherapy. Forget the Freudian couch! With the do-it-yourself table, writers could destroy the work of their nemeses: tear up the prose and verse of fellow writers (ah, the sound of ripping paper–sweet as a symphony). Actually, I should think bigger. Anyone could get a deep sense of satisfaction from shredding paper: jilted sweethearts could tear up their awful love letters; and tax evaders could reduce their IRS notices to confetti. Alas, the Shredded Collection hasn’t reached this point yet (but you can keep your fingers crossed)!

Via Inhabitat.