Petit Pas, French for small step, is a line of one-of-a-kind furniture and decor fabricated using found and discarded materials. Equal parts form and function, Petit Pas pushes the boundaries of what we expect from the mundane materials that surround us.

We often hear about the horrors of plastic, but paper and cardboard are often impacted by equally problematic recycling streams. There are myriad nuances to the recyclability of these materials, many of which depend on the infrastructure that exists where you live. With both large and small corporations reaching for plastic packaging alternatives, we’re facing an influx in our homes, trash cans, recycling bins, and landfills.

Petit Pas, as its name suggests, is taking a small step in the right direction. It is a tangible expression of hope — hope that innovating around the ubiquitous can catalyze disruption, action, and change.

Further, this exploration aims to democratize the fabrication process by only using a few, easily found resources — thereby aiming to empower individuals with the knowledge and inspiration to make a functional object simply by using what’s in their recycling bins. Each piece is fully customizable — you can make it your own by adding more boxes, textures, embellishments, or paint. The design process is never done.

Almost all of the pieces you’ll see below (aside from those with tile) are made with organic supplementary materials for structure, including flour, water, and water-based paints, so once you’re ready to discard your piece, you can simply submerge it in water and turn it into paper pulp — et voilà, material to start anew!