Every creative idea in the field of interior design excites us and makes us want to discover its story. And when this idea is based on an eco-friendly material such as cardboard, it puts functional design back in the spotlight and being made in Ro, we don't hesitate.
That's why Povestea Casei spoke with Nicolae Baciu, the CEO of Foldo, a local initiative that materializes various interior design objects in cardboard. Launched officially this summer at the Made in Ro Romanian design fair, Foldo focuses on creative projects and approaches.
Read the article about the innovative home of an interior designer
Born out of respect for the environment and a passion for design, Foldo is a bold project that aims to change people's perception of conventional furniture, proposing cardboard furniture as an alternative. The idea actually came from a necessity. I moved periodically and it was very difficult to transport the furniture pieces with which I had decorated my house.
I decided that I needed something much more mobile, easier to disassemble and pack. Testing various materials, I settled on cardboard and that's how the first cardboard armchair, Foldo, appeared. Cardboard is ecological and 100% recyclable so all Foldo products protect the environment, says Nicolae Baciu.
From there to intuiting the true potential of the Foldo concept, it was just one step: We gathered a group of creative people and started developing other products. We started doing our research. We discovered that there are similar projects in Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Germany. We consider ourselves different because we don't use adhesives or screws.
The design of our objects is inspired by geometric shapes, so our lighting collection is called Foldo Geometri, details the CEO of Foldo.
Operational details are kept in-house and locally. Thus, the cardboard is purchased from a factory in Romania, and Nicolae Baciu himself, together with a small team of designers, takes care of the concepts. Production is also done at the Foldo workshop.
About Foldo's activity so far, Nicolae Baciu adds: Although it was launched recently, there have been some special projects for Foldo. We made several lighting fixtures and cardboard decorations for The Coffee Factory cafe in Bucharest, Terra Verde, a restaurant in Ploiesti, and a cardboard gear train for a club in Ramnicu Sarat.
Due to the versatility of cardboard, we can carry out various projects within a reasonable budget. Foldo furniture is a cheaper alternative to conventional furniture. For example, a SEATER armchair costs 200 lei. Our armchairs have been tested for 8 months under conditions of intensive daily use and they are doing well.
Our products are addressed to all categories of people, but due to the reluctance towards the material used, our main target are people in creative fields, open-minded people who appreciate design and see the clear benefits of our products.
