DIY Slatted Frame ⇢ Chair

Modularity ahead!

Here is a quick transformation of a slatted frame into a chair with almost no external fasteners and change in parts.

In Berlin, you often walk past slatted frames on the street. This project was initially developed as a street art project. The conversion only requires 4 cuts and 12 extra screws and can be created directly on the street in approximately 50 minutes including dismantling.

The prototype built here is made from an IKEA “SULTAN” slatted frame. However, this conversion should also be possible with many other slatted frames with some slight adjustments.

For this up-cycling project, you will need a used slatted frame (disassembled), 12 screws, a screwdriver, a drill, and a saw.

• The sides of the chair (items 1, 2 & 3) are made from the long slats of the slatted frame. Each bar needs exactly two cuts.
• Cut two beams to be as long as a slat, minus 2x the width of a slat.
• The height of the front bar (item 1) does not matter. We have chosen a relatively low height for a more secure seating position.
• The slatted frame has 3 cross connections - i.e. connections between the two sides. These strips are simply unscrewed and then reused, unchanged. You will simply screw them in again with their screws in a different location.

• The key idea here: the seat and backrest are woven!
• All you need is a base frame with 4 short screws each, into which you then weave the wooden slats. All this becomes very stable because of the tension created by bending the slats.

• The pictures above show how to prevent the seat from slipping to either side. It is anchored firmly and stably.
• For this anchorage, the slat frame, into which the other slats are woven, must also have an overhang of one slat width on the left and right (see picture with top view).

• The strips are not enough for a whole backrest, but it should be enough to cover the upper area.
• The backrest is hooked in on the left and right. You can reuse the rubber elements with which the spring slats are held into the slatted frame. (Alternatively, you can use the textile elements that fall out of the slatted frame as string and tie the backrest.)
• If the backrest is hooked in at the top, you can simply place it between the slats of the seat.

You will see that the chair is very stable and comfortable, even without padding. You can also fit more than one person onto the chair. We gave away our prototype (it is now a balcony chair) and have gotten good feedback.

We hope you enjoy your new piece of furniture!

This conversion is a study for an Open Circular Design. This project plays with some of the techniques involved, most notably modularity and pre-use .