Don’t let your eyes deceive you people…this is not a mockup or macro photography trickery. Inspired by the appearance of corrugated cardboard, Swedish design studio TAF recently designed the offices for Swedish branding and design agency NINE with interiors that resemble cardboard boxes—a well-played nod to the packaging design that happens within the agency’s walls.

Office for NINE

“The painted metal sheets create a basic trompe l’oeil effect, like big paper packaging turning into spaces…the benefit of using metal is that it is more durable and long lasting than real cardboard.”

-Designer Mattias Ståhlbom

Lead by TAF designers Gabriella Gustafson and Mattias Ståhlbom, the designs are actually not scaled-up corrugated cardboard but rather, corrugated metal sheets cleverly painted to resemble cardboard. The paper aesthetic flows throughout the open-plan office with other paper-related (but not paper) designs created by TAF including their Soft Parcels line of furniture made to resemble shipping boxes.

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To differentiate spaces within the office, the designers chose contrasting materials and shades of green and orange to create “small, visible ‘islands’ in the white and brown paper space,” according to Ståhlbom.

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Okay, and now for the actual mockups…

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(via Dezeen)

Author

Simon is a Brooklyn-based industrial designer and Managing Editor of EVD Media. When he finds the time to design, his focus is on helping startups develop branding and design solutions to realize their product design vision. In addition to his work at Nike and various other clients, he is the main reason anything gets done at EvD Media. He once wrestled an Alaskan alligator buzzard to the ground with his bare hands… to rescue Josh.