ReLounge- an Upcycled Chair With Adjustable Backrest, Footrest, and Storage

My family recently upgraded our dining room chairs, which left me with six oversized, heavy-duty boxes and six protective wood boards. Rather than tossing them, I saw an opportunity for high-quality upcycling.

I always wanted to challenge myself in making cardboard furniture--this time, a lounge chair that can have features an adjustable backrest, a retractable footrest, and integrated storage--perfect for tucking away pillows and blankets to keep your space tidy and cozy.

In this guide, I’m providing a proportional design model rather than a traditional tutorial with static templates. By focusing on ratios and specifications rather than static measurements, you can adapt this template to whatever cardboard stock you have available.

Materials:

1. Cardboard
2. Wood board
3. Wooden rod (1/2")
4. zip ties
5. Glue & Tape
6. Sand paper
7. Thread and needle
8. Covering fabric
9. Optional privacy shade: Craft paper (4' x 30' )
10. Optional privacy shade: Sticky back hook and loop Velcro tape

Tools:

1. Cardboard cutter
2. Saw/wood workbench with chain saws
3. Drill

We created our design in Tinkercad. All dimensions in the model are scaled at half-inch units compared to our real build. That means a measurement of 40 in the design corresponds to 20 inches in the actual structure.

A few consideration in the design process:

1. For the backrest, we want at least two additional reclining positions — 60° and 30° — besides the standard upright position. That’s why we chose a special right triangle with angles 30°, 60°, and 90°.
2. For the footrest, we also want three positions: straight down, slanted, and flat. This means the supporting shape must be able to rest in three different orientations while keeping the top at the same height. In the design (shown in green), some calculation is required. Point A serves as the pivot for the footrest rotation. Let the orange line segment have length a. Since ∠EFC = 45°, we get:

a / √2 + AE = √2 · AB

Because AE = AB, this equation can be solved to determine the value of a.

Given the size of this recliner, extra structural support is necessary.

1. We reused the wooden boards that came with the cardboard boxes from the dining room chair delivery.
2. We added a grid-style internal support structure to each component.

Important! When cutting your cardboard panels, remember to include an extra joining margin (or "tab") along the edges.

The backrest consists of three identical triangular prisms, sized according to the provided specifications. To make them strong enough to support weight, construct an internal grid-like framework inside each prism.

Thread wooden rods through the prisms at the indicated positions and secure them with zip ties. These rods serve as structural anchors, allowing each prism to connect firmly to the others as we will demonstrate later.

Build the base according to the specifications, then add a grid-style internal support structure that also serves as storage space.

Tip: When adding the supports, pay attention to the direction of the corrugated cardboard. For vertical supports, orient the flutes vertically to achieve greater strength and stability.

The footrest is designed as a cube with one corner removed. The design details and calculations were described earlier.

Construct the frame and add an internal grid-style support structure for extra strength.

Insert a wooden rod cut to match the internal width of the base.

The seating section of the base is designed to accommodate a rotating footrest. Because of this, the area is relatively hollow and cannot use a standard grid-style internal support system.

Fortunately, we had six wooden boards from the dining room chair packaging, which worked well for reinforcing the base. We used two boards on the left, two on the right, and two on the top. The side supports also include hanging holes for attaching the footrest.

Cut the four side boards to match the shape of their corresponding areas on the side of the base. Tape them together, and add extra layers of cardboard if additional strength is needed. Drill holes as shown for installing the footrest. Sand the holes till smooth. The two top boards did not require trimming in our case since they fit as-is from the packaging, but you may need to cut yours to size if necessary. Tape together to form a sturdier top board.

Create the cover and attach it securely to the corresponding parts of the structure.

(I had help making the cover, since I don’t know how to use a sewing machine.)

Join the three triangular prisms together as designed using zip ties.

Sew the base (yellow) triangular prism onto its designated position on the base to secure it.

Slide the side board with the footrest into the base as shown.

Insert the top board on top of the side boards.

This piece functions as an optional privacy and sun shade. In a final version, it would ideally be made from fabric stretched over a wire frame. The model shown here is simply a proof of concept.

Start with a 4-foot-wide roll of craft paper and cut an 8-foot length. Fold it in a zigzag pattern across the width using 1.5-inch folds to create a long accordion-style strip.

Next, fold two 3-foot sections inward so the top section ends up 2 feet long. Reinforce the sides and top with cardboard where needed. As before, pay close attention to the direction of the corrugation—orient the flutes vertically for vertical supports to maximize strength. For this structure, the flutes should run vertically along both sides of the folded piece.

Repeat the process to create five identical sections, then glue them together. Add further reinforcement with cardboard strips and wooden strips, and tape the ends together to form a fan shape as shown.

Use Velcro tape to secure the fan-shaped shade in position. In a finished design, hardware such as lid-stay hinges would help hold the shade at different angles. Again, this version is only intended to demonstrate the concept.