Soft Land Transforms Discarded Paper into Interactive Seating
EX FIGURA’s Soft Land reimagines the afterlife of discarded print materials, transforming them into a dynamic and interactive seating structure. In an era dominated by digital media, the role of paper seems increasingly obsolete. Yet, despite the rise of screen-based communication, global paper consumption has surged by 400% in the last five decades, with paper and cardboard still making up a significant portion of global waste, 28% in North America and 15% in East Asia and the Pacific. This paradox highlights a crucial question: Does paper still have a place in our world? Soft Land, an innovative design intervention, answers with an emphatic yes—not as a medium for static information, but as an architectural element fostering human connection.
The project is presented in the Milan Design Week 2025, in San Babila. Comprised of 50 modular pillows crafted from four cubic meters of salvaged paper and bound together with 100 square meters of recovered rope, this design breathes new life into waste. The result is a versatile, large-scale installation that invites users to sit, lounge, and engage, redefining the role of paper beyond its traditional purpose. The two-dimensional surface that once delivered information is now reconfigured into a three-dimensional experience—one that encourages communal interaction and tactile exploration.
all images by Lorenzo Bacci at the DS Smith Group Paper Processing Center
EX FIGURA rethinks waste as a resource for sustainable design
More than just an exercise in upcycling, Soft Land by creative studio EX FIGURA challenges the notion of obsolescence. By repurposing 2.4 tons of discarded material, it highlights the untapped potential of waste as a resource for sustainable design. Unlike the fleeting lifespan of printed media, this project demonstrates that discarded materials can be reintegrated into contemporary environments in a meaningful and functional way. Supplied by the DS Smith Group and supported by Proviaggiarchitettura, it serves as both an aesthetic statement and a call to action, urging designers and consumers alike to rethink their relationship with materials and consumption. Ultimately, Soft Land is the paper of yesterday, reshaped into the environment of today. The design invites visitors to reconsider waste not as an endpoint but as the beginning of something new, a tangible, evolving space where sustainability meets creativity. Through its innovative approach, it reclaims paper’s relevance, proving that even in a digital world, paper’s potential has not been exhausted—it has simply transformed.
Soft Land by EX FIGURA transforms discarded print materials into an interactive seating structure
the installation challenges the obsolescence of paper in a digital age
the installation consists of 50 modular pillows made from salvaged paper and recovered rope
four cubic meters of repurposed paper form the foundation of this large-scale structure
the project highlights the untapped potential of waste as a resource for sustainable design
by repurposing 2.4 tons of discarded material, Soft Land challenges traditional perceptions of waste