Cardboard Robot Furniture

Most people consider custom furniture the sole purview of monocled men who never have to blow their nose on their laundry. Now, one robot aims to change that: Cardboard Robot.

Following in Frank Gehry's footsteps, CR makes functionalist furniture using strictly cardboard and glue (looks like you picked the wrong week to stop sniffing chair). Each piece is constructed using the same geometric bracing principles common in bridges, so even though it only weighs a few pounds, it can withstand human weight of more than a ton, or water weight of less than a spoonful. Everything's made to order, with options ranging from chairs and couches to loveseats, or even shelves -- on which to stack six-packs, so that lesser cardboard might dream of becoming something grander than a Michelob caddy.

Prices start at a mere $250, + shipping -- an additional cost you can avoid by picking up your goods at CR's Long Beach office; if you do venture out, just be sure you've got a clean shirt on.