RIVING toward Kungsholmen, one has to pass the Statshusen, where the Nobel prizes are presented. This is a more classical part of Stockholm, once heavily industrial and now, quietly residential. Walking along Lake Mälaren, this is one of the most peaceful parts of the city. A few blocks away, there’s more nightlife, police cars occasionally passing the bars. It is between these contrasts that Sergej Gerasimenko has his showroom for Returdesign, the environmentally conscious’ brand of choice when it comes to furniture.
   Gerasimenko is in an enviable location in Stockholm, one that blends the urban hip mood of trendy eateries (one being a converted water closet) and the quietness in which artists indulge. It’s fitting for a man who takes recycled corrugated board and turns it into environmentally friendly furniture. In addition, the items are practical and comfortable, all a consequence of their design.
   Ukranian-born and a graduate of both the Technical University of Budapest and the Royal Academy of Art, Stockholm, Gerasimenko is an unassuming man when you first meet him but evidently passionate about his furniture designs. The idea behind them goes beyond function: he expects people to find a playful edge to his creations. It is in this combination of engineering skill and humanity that made Gerasimenko the flavour of the month after establishing his studio in Stockholm a little over 10 years ago—but Returdesign’s gospel is even more relevant in the twenty-first century, with talk of sustainability, natural harmony and balance.

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Returdesign’s gospel of recyclable paper furniture is even more relevant in the 21st century, with talk of sustainability, natural harmony and balance

MAIN PHOTOGRAPH: Bookshelf made of corrugated board, meeting strict European Union fire regulations. Sergej Gerasimenko jokes that a bookshelf’s contents have a greater chance of igniting. TOP: Office furniture, with a lacquered finish. ABOVE: A more pure office style in exposed cardboard. LEFT: Tested: a trade show café using Returdesign furniture.