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SmartDeco: Practical Furniture for the Eco Friendly Collegiate

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UCSB chapter.

 

Recycling is all the rage these days. Good for the bottle, good for the can, what goes around comes around. The other day I tossed my whole couch into the recycling bin. Wait, what? Yes. You read that correctly.  Look around your room and consider a scenario: 

How awesome would it be if furnishing your trendy little apartment or dorm room did not involve awkward heavy lifting or having a mental 

breakdown trying to decipher assembly instructions? What if your home décor could unfold gracefull

y before your eyes, and when you wanted to rearrange it, you didn’t need to call a handy guy friend or whip out a tool box? Then, when you were finally through with your appliance, instead of dealing with Craigslist or lighter fluid, you could recycle it neatly in a bin. 

For many girls, setting up and moving furniture is a hassle, but it doesn’t have to be. SmartDeco is a relatively new company that produces lightweight furniture made of cardboard. Who knew that when engineered properly, cardboard could support up to 400 pounds? Manufactured solely in the United States, the various sturdy products include the Intellidesk, SmartStand, SmartDresser, and SmartSet. So maybe I didn’t actually throw out my couch, but you get the idea.

At first glance, these structures might look a little plain, but they serve as a blank canvas to the creative mind. Students doodle on their shoes and on their backpacks—now they can paint their furniture too. Customize your SmartDeco appliance and send in a photograph of your work, and the company will display it online.  Make sure to protect your masterpiece from spills and accidents with the waterproof lid provided.

Once the particular piece of furniture no longer melds with your lifestyle, you don’t have to host a traditional Isla Vista ceremonial (and rather toxic) burning outside your house, you can simply throw it out. Think of how empty that U-Haul is going to be next time you move, after having recycled out a bookshelf, desk, and dresser. You should probably buy a couple horses to fill all that space you’ll have.

Next time you are in the market for a desk, dresser, or bookshelf, visit www.smartdeco.com to learn more, and make the eco-friendly choice.

Phoebe is a senior at the University of California, Santa Barbara, majoring in Film and Media Studies. She is from San Diego, CA and loves spending time hiking and walking her dog on the beach. At UCSB, Phoebe is involved with her sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma, and loves to take study breaks by baking and watching reality TV. However, she is truly passionate about cats and Nutella (not together of course). After graduation, Phoebe plans to travel abroad in Europe and pursue a career in Public Relations.