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Background information

Can you guess which discarded item was used to make this folding screen?

Pia Seidel
17/1/2023
Translation: Katherine Martin
Pictures: Pia Seidel

A Dutch company is making 3D-printed furniture out of something we throw away millions of times a day. Can you guess what this room divider is made of?

Guessing game

The big reveal

The folding screen is characterised by its clay-like appearance, but its terracotta colour is deceptive. The name of the design reveals different origins: Aectual Drink Carton is comprised of polymers and aluminium (PolyAl) made of – yep, you guessed it – discarded drinks cartons. It’s the result of a collaboration with Tetra Pak,

PolyAl is ideally suited as a building material. The room divider is just one example. It’s part of a concept called Playbook, which includes stools, planters, wall coverings, room dividers, fly screens and much more.

This is the fourth instalment of the «Guess what?» series, in which you can use my clues to guess a design piece’s «secret ingredient». You can find previously published articles in the series here:

Header image: Pia Seidel

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Like a cheerleader, I love celebrating good design and bringing you closer to everything furniture- and interior design- related. I regularly curate simple yet sophisticated interior ideas, report on trends and interview creative minds about their work.


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