Haallaaj: Innovative Design Forward Eco-Friendly Furniture, Made of Recycled Paper

Tehran, Iran-based furniture business, Haallaaj, is a leader in eco-friendly furniture design innovations. To do this, they have used the most unlikely of materials: recycled paper. Their paper is turned into papier-mâché and then combined with soil, sand and cement to create sturdy and lasting furniture. Each of their pieces is hand-made with care, shaped into eye-catching, futuristic and yet minimalistic designs. Haallaaj’s pieces are helping to reduce the unsustainable use of wood in the furniture industry, while helping to recycle paper and, at the same time, create conversation-starting pieces for their clients’ homes. This is why their work is relevant to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of Responsible Consumption and Production.

Just in the USA, the furniture industry generates 12 million tons of waste a year, with 80 percent of it ending up in landfills. This situation has been largely exacerbated by the fast furniture industry. Much like its notorious counterpart, the fast fashion industry, fast furniture relies on micro-trends, short-lived trends that drive consumer behaviour. Supported by brands such as IKEA and Wayfair that offer furniture at a relatively low cost, micro-trends make people purchase more furniture than they need, pushing them to discard furniture just as frequently, too. This is why brands such as Haallaaj go a long way; they are not only recycling materials but also providing their customers with timeless pieces that go against current trends.

Chair from The Soil Collection by Haallaaj. Image courtesy of @haallaaj/Instagram.

Their pieces are deliberately made to not resemble anything else in the market, making them feel more like artworks and less like furniture. This makes them the perfect conversation starters for topics on sustainability and eco-consumerism, allowing Haallaaj customers to further spread their messages of climate resilience and a human existence that is in harmony with nature.

Backside of chair from The Soil Collection by Haallaaj. Image courtesy of @haallaaj/Instagram.

Haallaaj’s principle collection, The Soil Collection, a series of soil coloured papier-mâché furniture, was inspired by the connection between humanity and the planet. It was made “In the hope that the kindness that has been forgotten for years will return to people and encourage them to be just a little kinder to the earth,” writes the Haallaaj team. There is a certain poetry in this statement since Haallaaj creates functional pieces that directly interact with the human body, indeed poetically symbolizing a direct connection between humanity and Mother Earth.

Detail of chair from The Soil Collection by Haallaaj. Image courtesy of @haallaaj/Instagram.

Another feature of Haallaaj furniture that is particularly interesting is how their designs, which have been deliberately left with different tones of beige according to the colour of its recycled paper or soil, also make them great companion pieces for homes with all sorts of interior design choices. This is why Haallaaj’s pieces are testaments of sustainable and design-forward quality furniture.

Coffee table and nightstand from The Soil Collection by Haallaaj. Image courtesy of @haallaaj/Instagram.

Find out more about Haallaaj’s sustainable furniture and their other initiatives by checking their Instagram on @haallaaj.