Dezeen Magazine

Shredded IKEA catalogues used to stuff Charles Kaisin's Küss cushions

IKEA is inviting consumers in Belgium to recycle their old catalogues into stuffing for a geometrically patterned cushion designed by Charles Kaisin.

As part of a campaign led by creative agency DDB Brussels, the Swedish furniture giant is celebrating the arrival of its 2016 catalogue by allowing customers to re-use last year's issue in a more unusual way.

On 12 September 2015, all IKEA stores in Belgium will be accepting copies of the catalogue published in 2014 from customers. The 300-page book will then be shredded and stuffed into the new Küss cushion created by Belgian designer Charles Kaisin.

Charles Kaisin cushions for Ikea

Kaisin, who graduated from the Royal College of Art in 2001, has used newspaper in products before, creating an extendable bench and chair from the material.

He's also turned used bottles into glasses, and windows from washing machines into food containers.

Charles Kaisin cushions for Ikea

His IKEA cushion features a red and white pattern based on the chemical structure of cellulose, the raw material that makes up paper pulp.

"Styled and repeated into a visual structure it becomes its very own source of inspiration," Kaisin said.

Charles Kaisin cushions for Ikea

Strips of the shredded catalogue can be faintly seen through the white parts of the cushion's pattern, which also has Kaisin's signature printed on it.

More than 4.8 million copies of the catalogue are distributed across Belgium each year. In 2013, IKEA experimented with adding an augmented reality function to the catalogue, enabling customers to see what products would look like in their homes.

Charles Kaisin cushions for Ikea

In 2014 IKEA also announced the launch of the 328-page Ikea "bookbook" with a spoof movie that emulated the way Apple often advertises its products.

The furniture giant has recently collaborated with London designer Ilse Crawford to create a "deliberately low-key" collection. In an interview with Dezeen, IKEA head of design Marcus Engman said that his aim is to "bring the surprise back" to the brand.