3D printing has spread across many different areas, and the furniture industry is no exception. Yes, furniture is still mass-produced using traditional manufacturing methods, but 3D printing has come in handy for designers who want to bring innovation into the market.
Still, 3D printing isn’t the most appropriate tool for furniture. For example, printing plastic stools can’t rival the normal mold-making process just yet. What 3D printing does offer is a great tool for producing high-end furniture, often developed by famous designers who want to explore new shapes and ideas.
Such furniture, as you may know, is produced in rather limited quantities and often features complex geometries, which are easier to produce with 3D printing. This often results in extraordinary designs, which are hard or impossible to produce with molds.
We’ve compiled a list of some of the coolest 3D printed furniture we’ve seen so far. It should be noted that many of the furniture pieces described below, when available for purchase, are quite expensive. On the other hand, some are displayed or used in public, and one has files that you can download for free. Let’s take a look!
Nagami
Nagami is a Spanish design brand that “explores the future of product design in a new technological era”. The brand’s first collection, Brave New World, consisted of four 3D printed chairs designed by different architects and designers. All the chairs were created using FDM 3D printers and were first introduced to the world during the Milan Design Week in 2018.
The first two chairs out of the collection, the Bow and the Rise, were designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, who were inspired by sea life. Both chairs were 3D printed using PLA. The sea life design inspiration is especially visible on the Rise, which is meant to represent a coral reef. The Bow and Rise are limited editions, available by price consultation only.
Other innovative chairs include the Peeler, which was printed by London-based designer Daniel Widrig, the Mawj, and the newest addition, Clera.
- Designers: Patrik Schumacher (Zaha Hadid Architects), Daniel Widrig, and Manuel Jiménez García
- Location: Spain
- Price: Available on request
- Source: Nagami
Model N°
As one of the biggest companies in the 3D printed furniture industry, Model N° was founded with the mission to rethink and revolutionize furniture as we know it. They aim to create interiors with harmonious shapes without the waste associated with classic manufacturing. In fact, this company pays close attention to sustainability, using recyclable and biodegradeable materials, such as proprietary plant-based resins. They also make use of reclaimed wood, non-toxic finishes, and organic textiles. Their FDM printers operate with solar and wind energy, and the material used for their packaging is also recycled.
Model N° offers a large inventory, including chairs, tables, and lamps. They also have a print-on-demand service, allowing customers to make use of 3D printing’s customization possibilities.
- Designer: Model N° team
- Location: California
- Price: Available on request
- Source: Model N°
Ocke Series
The Ocke Series is a set of 3D printed furniture consisting of a chair and sofa. Both the chair and the sofa were designed by Beatrice Müller, an industrial designer at BigRep – a German company specializing in FDM 3D printers with large print volumes and precision.
This furniture series was created as a demonstration of what BigRep’s One 3D printer was capable of making. The One features a build volume of 1 m³.
While designing the Ocke Series, Müller wanted to achieve a design that would be able to speak for itself. In other words, people should recognize that the chair and the sofa were designed specifically for 3D printing.
Another interesting design feature Müller applied is the ability to print the furniture without using any support material. This was achieved by positioning the poles – the main structural elements of the pieces – at low angles.
- Designer: Beatrice Müller
- Location: Germany
- Price: Not for sale
- Source: BigRep
BlueCycle
Like Model N°, BlueCycle is focused on sustainability. This company was created in Greece with the objective of reusing marine plastic waste generated from shipping and fishing activities.
Their business is based on recycling plastic nets and ropes found in the oceans to create beautiful pieces of furniture. All of their pieces are made with a minimum of 50% recycled plastic waste from the oceans and feature materials like nylon and polyester. The material they use comes from different marine and coastal cleaning projects from various locations in Greece.
In addition, their foundation organizes educational programs for children to introduce them to the topic of marine pollution and invite them to explore it as a reusable 3D printing material. Furthermore, they have created a short documentary called “Second Nature“, which highlights the problem and proposes potential solutions.
- Designer: BlueCycle team
- Location: Greece
- Price: ~$30-$280 for home goods, not listed for furniture
- Source: BlueCycle
Sofa So Good
This amazing piece of furniture was created by Janne Kyttanen, who works as a 3D printing expert at 3D Systems. The lounger you see in the picture above features an incredible, complex mesh design, resembling a metal-coated spider web.
The lounger is called Sofa So Good and was created using 3D System’s ProX 950, an industrial large-volume SLA 3D printer. Kyttanen’s design enables the lounger to be printed with as little material as possible while still maintaining structural strength.
The single print design used only 2.5 liters of resin, which translates to 6,000 layers. It measures 1.5 meters (almost 5 feet) in length and weighs only 2.5 kilograms (about 5.5 pounds). According to the designer, it’s able to support a maximum weight of 100 kilograms (about 220 pounds).
- Designer: Janne Kyttanen
- Location: USA
- Price: Not for sale
- Source: Janne Kyttanen
Drawn
Drawn is a French business creating different furniture items with the help of Galatea, its own large-scale robotic arm 3D printer. The company was born with the dream of creating custom-made furniture, and 3D printing has made it possible.
In their catalog, you can find customizable FDM 3D printed furniture for your home or office, including lamps and bottle racks, among others. They also offer a very interesting service. They can create a custom piece of furniture for a specific event, then take it back to remelt and reuse it. You can commission commercial interiors or even scenography for your next event!
- Designer: Sylvain Charpiot
- Location: France
- Price: ~$10-$220
- Source: Drawn
Gantri
Gantri, “the most recognized lighting manufacturer in America”, has appeared in many different journals and received numerous design awards. As such, this company is one of the most well-known 3D printed furniture businesses worldwide. It was founded to bring sleek and innovative designs into homes that surpass the complexity and high costs of traditional manufacturing. Gantri has opened its doors to many designers, allowing them to commercialize their own unique designs.
Thanks to FDM 3D printing, even the most creative designs can be manufactured. Gantri uses its own software and plant-based materials. The minimal and elegant style of their lamps is perfect for a modern home. At the moment, its catalog features more than 125 products! This number is constantly increasing as they update their selection.
- Designer: Many creative minds, including designers like Louis Filosa, Filippo Mambretti, Muka Design Lab, Studio Elk, and more
- Location: California
- Price: ~$150-$450
- Source: Gantri
Batoidea Chair & Footstool
The Batoidea 3D printed chair and stool are remarkably shaped pieces of furniture designed by Peter Donders. This premium furniture set is part of a limited edition collection.
Both pieces were created from 3D printed sand molds, which according to the artist, is the same method used to produce the internal core of the Ferrari engine. It took a total of five sand mold parts to create, all manufactured by Voxeljet’s service center in Augsburg, Germany.
The thin-walled aluminum cast structures were then painted using the same technique Ferrari uses to paint the bodywork of its supercars, which helps to explain the very high cost.
- Designer: Peter Donders
- Location: Belgium
- Price: ~$26,400
- Source: Peter Donders
Krill Design
Krill Design is an Italian business that brings to life unique furniture with custom materials. In fact, this company has created its own 3D printable filament series, called Rekrill, by recycling orange and lemon peels and coffee grounds. They’re also experimenting with eggshells and tomatoes! These filaments create special textures on the print, bringing to life some unique pieces of sustainable furniture.
Krill Design collaborates with many large Italian companies, demonstrating that 3D printing can be a sustainable process for mass production. At the moment, Krill Design has three collections, one for each of their materials. They’ve designed lamps, clocks, vases, and other beautiful pieces of furniture.
- Designer: Ivan Calimani, Yack H. Di Maio, Martina Lamperti
- Location: Italy
- Price: ~$35-$150
- Source: Krill Design
Rio Collection
The Rio collection is a collaboration between furniture maker Morgan Furniture and Studio Integrate. It consists of backrest chairs and a side table that combines 3D printed parts with traditional furniture materials, such as wood and glass.
The 3D printed lattice structure was designed entirely by a computer algorithm, which ensured the ability to sustain weight while optimizing the material used. This resulted in a unique and gorgeous design that’s manufactured either with resin (SLA) or polyamide powder (SLS).
The Rio collection was launched at the London Design Festival in 2016 and aimed to explore the relationship between “the craft of today with the craft of tomorrow.” It’s available for download at the Morgan Furniture website.
- Designer: Studio Integrate
- Location: London
- Price: Available on request
- Source: Morgan Furniture
Multithread
Multithread, an art project by designers Reed Kram and Clemens Weisshaar, uses 3D printed joints to make tables, shelves, and desks. The Swedish and German duo founded their design studio in 2002, and since then, they’ve been integrating the latest technological advances into their projects.
In Multithread, the lattice structures that support the flat surfaces of various pieces of furniture were optimized by custom software that “analyzes, modifies, and paints” the joints according to the forces to which they’re submitted. The joints were digitally designed and 3D printed using selective laser melting (SLM).
After printing, the parts were hand-polished and the final structure was assembled. In the end, each joint was custom-painted using the color pattern designated by the design software to illustrate the mechanical stress applied to that specific part. The final pieces were displayed at Milan’s Nilufar Gallery in 2012 and the Istanbul Design Biennial in 2013.
- Designers: Reed Kram and Clemens Weisshaar
- Locations: Italy and Turkey
- Price: Not for sale
- Source: KramWeisshaar
Aleksa Studio Table
Designed by Aleksa Studio, this awesome table is the result of CNC and 3D printing working together. Presented at Clerkenwell Design Week in May 2014, this incredible piece of furniture is now exhibited at CNAP (Centre National des Arts Plastiques Collection) in Paris.
The top part of the table is CNC-milled walnut, while the organic-shaped legs are 3D printed. This fusion brings to life a stunning piece of furniture. The legs, consisting of seven pieces seamlessly joined together, were created with the help of SLS 3D printing, and they’re the perfect representation of what this manufacturing process is capable of. With 3D printing, Aleksa Studio has been able to create a uniquely shaped table, which would be impossible using traditional techniques.
- Designer: Aleksa Studio
- Location: United Kingdom
- Price: Not for sale
- Source: Aleksa Studio
Print Your City
Print Your City is an ongoing research project aimed at recycling household plastic waste and using it to 3D print public city furniture. The project was envisioned by Rotterdam-based design studio The New Raw and was kickstarted in 2016 in Amsterdam as a test run.
The first piece of furniture the Dutch capital received was a custom public bench weighing around 15 kg (about 33 pounds). According to Foteini Setaki, The New Raw’s co-founder, this is equivalent to the total plastic waste produced by two Amsterdamers per year. The large-scale 3D printing was done locally by Aectual, a company also involved with design and sustainability.
With the recycling and printing processes a success, the project moved on to yet another city: Thessaloniki. In collaboration with various organizations, including Coca-Cola, a Zero Waste Lab was implemented in the Greek city, with recycling facilities and a robotic 3D printing arm. Locals can take their household waste to the lab and learn more about the recycling processes.
- Designer: The New Raw Studio
- Location: The Netherlands and Greece
- Price: Free
- Source: Print Your City
One_Shot Stool
One_Shot.mgx is a functional stool from Patrick Jouin for a design project by Materialise. The project challenged artists and designers to create an inspiring 3D printable design collection.
The One_Shot stool has a dynamic structure that allows it to be folded, just like an umbrella, for transportation or storage. The collapsing movement is fluid, making use of a twisting motion and gravity. The entire piece, including all moving parts and hinges, are 3D printed together using SLS technology.
This intricate design is available for purchase, along with other furniture and decorative items, in limited quantities at Materialise’s online shop.
- Designer: Patrick Jouin
- Location: France
- Price: ~$2,350
- Source: Materialise
Bits & Parts
Imagine being able to 3D print an entire chair with your own printer. That’s the idea behind Bits & Parts, a spin-off project from the Makerchair series by designer Joris Laarman. The first prototype was made by a 3D printing hub, and according to their website, it was the world’s “first crowd-fabricated chair.”
There are currently three models available: the Maker Puzzle Chair, the Kids Maker Chair 19, and the Kids Maker Chair P39. All of them can be downloaded for free and printed by anyone with a 3D printer (and time!). Each unit is assembled like a 3D puzzle to form the final piece of furniture.
The Kids Maker Chair 19 is made from 15 puzzle pieces plus 4 connector rings for the wooden legs. According to its website, 1.5 kg of filament for each color should be enough for this model, while the legs are made from standard broomsticks.
The entire project is a constant work in progress, where makers around the globe can join ranks and enhance the designs.
- Designer: Bits & Parts
- Location: The Netherlands
- Price: Free for download
- Source: Bits & Parts
Final Thoughts
Most of the furniture we’ve seen in this article was made by studios and designers who wanted to explore the production capabilities of 3D printing. As time goes by, we think that 3D printing will eventually make its way into cheaper, mass-produced furniture.
In the meantime, if you want to venture further into the world of 3D printed furniture, you can start by checking Cults’ awesome selection of furniture models that you can print yourself!
License: The text of "3D Printed Furniture: The State of the Art" by All3DP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.