The Quarantine Bean

After the COVID-19 pandemic sent college students home indefinitely, I spent most of my days wandering around the house with a general lack of motivation. At the same time, our household experienced a surge in the rate of online shopping due to lockdown. Our lone municipal recycling bin was no longer sufficient for containing all those overflowing cardboard boxes. This was an unexpected side effect of lockdown to me, which also somehow triggered a bout of motivation to look for a solution for this problem. In short, over the next few weeks I researched various methods of repurposing cardboard, and settled on creating the Quarantine Bean. He's a majestic creature that was produced with zero waste and plastered with my household's most-used brands during lockdown, complete with 2 wine bottle holders to help the user get through quarantine. I hope you enjoy this project as much as I did creating it!

Process:
Concept sketches of bean chair

Concept Sketches

3D model render in Fusion360

Creating interlocking slices for CNC
Creating interlocking slices for CNC
After sending my model off to a friend who helped me CNC mill these slices, I started to do some research on paper-mache. Ultimately, I went with thinned wood glue as a binder since I didn't feel too good about the structural integrity of flour for furniture making.
A few weeks worth of carboard boxes
A few weeks worth of carboard boxes
Testing the optimal soak duration. I needed somethig supple enough to conform to bean curves while still maintaining some rigidity.
Testing the optimal soak duration. I needed somethig supple enough to conform to bean curves while still maintaining some rigidity.
Successful test patch!
Successful test patch!
Since my goal was to make this chair as zero-waste as possible, I used the "trash" generated in the making process as insulation inside the chair.
A few days later...
Assembling CNC-ed parts
Assembling CNC-ed parts
Covering wood frame with chicken wire
Covering wood frame with chicken wire
"Paper-mache" with wood glue and card board
"Paper-mache" with wood glue and card board
100% sun-dried non-gmo chair
100% sun-dried non-gmo chair
Adding 2 bottle holders to help get you through quarantine
Adding 2 bottle holders to help get you through quarantine
Paper-mache complete!
Paper-mache complete!
Paint makeover
Paint makeover
I think we're done!
I think we're done!
Glam shot
Glam shot
Quarantine Bean now serves as a reading nook in the corner of my room.
Thanks for stopping by!
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