Chaos Shelves Full Review
Posted: 07 February 2008 by Chris Haslam
Cardboard shelving has been around for years -- just pop into WH Smith and look at the glossy magazine displays -- but the range of designs from Nigel's Eco Store, including large and small bookshelves and CD tower, are the first we've come across that combine interior designer style with the obvious eco credentials.
The first thing to mention about the shelves is just how light they are. The delivery driver was able to handle the 108cm x 13cm x 23cm box one-handed -- no mean feat for an entire bookcase! Okay, so it is made of cardboard and you'd expect it to be light, but compared to a flat-packed MDF or chipboard shelf unit of this size, the amount of carbon created in transport would be substantially smaller. It's also nifty that we could have easily carried it home on the bus.
The cardboard used with the shelves is 40 per cent recycled and 60 per cent virgin fibre from Swedish birchwood, a mix which the manufacturer explained to us is necessary to maintain the quality and hold of the carboard. Any more than 40 per cent recycled and the cardboard wouldn't be as strong. The material is greener than MDF or chipboard, not least because corrugated card is a valuable source of pulp fibre in the recycling process, weighs very little and can be flattened for easier and greener transporting.
The bookshelf is made up of eight bits of double-thickness corrugated card that make up both shelves and supports. They're protected during delivery by a single card sleeve (no polystyrene or plastic bags in sight) that, as you'd hope, can easily be recycled.
Although the single page of instructions were confusing at first, once we unpacked everything we soon realised how simple the building would be. Once you have the shelves in the correct order (to make the angled shelves the notches on each shelf and support are cut slightly differently, so the shelves slope but still stand up straight) we slotted them all together, ensuring the rounded edges were all pointing in the same direction.
Worryingly at first the slots seemed to be too big for each other, but we soon realised that as the other angled shelves slotted into place the whole structure tightened up. In fact, the final shelf didn't slot into place very easily at all and we were concerned that if we weren't careful it could crease. It didn't and in just a couple of minutes the shelves we're up and ready to go.
We assume that the cardboard shelves and slots are all cut by machine, so there shouldn't be any measurement errors, but when we stood the shelves up they did wobble a little bit. That said, as we loaded up the shelves with books the added weight made them feel pretty sturdy.
The bookshelf measures 105cm x 105cm x 20cm, which isn't huge but can hold at least 80 books. As is often the case with 'designer' items, form often replaces function. The smaller shelf gaps have quite tight angles so unless you fill them completely, the books won't have any support and will fall down. Still, it's one of the few bookshelves we've seen that has space for everything from paperback to A4 folders and heavy cookbooks.
We think the Chaos bookshelf would make an eye-catching and practical addition to your home, without the masses of packaging, MDF and chipboard usually associated with flat-pack furniture. We do think it's a bit on the pricey side, which will deter fans of the DIY sheds; but remember it's made to order by a small company in Sweden who in turn supply an independent store in the UK.
It's a sad fact, but our furniture has become more throw-away than long-lasting. But given the choice of paying more for something that looks great and will work well for a year or so before being recycled, or a wobbly glued and screwed MDF shelf destined for the skip, we know which we'd choose.
Quality
Value
Ethics
Green
