8 3D Printed Furniture Ideas to Try
While 3D printing is gaining ground in the industrial sector, it is also present on a smaller scale in homes, open spaces, and even parks and streets. We have noticed more and more 3D printed furniture, for example. From chairs, tables, and stools to sofas, there is no shortage of initiatives! Designers and manufacturers use 3D printing technologies to increase complexity and offer customizable furniture. Some can even be printed directly at home. Still, 3D printing isn’t the most appropriate tool for furniture. For example, printing plastic stools can’t rival the normal mold-making process just yet. What 3D printing offers is a great tool for producing high-end furniture, often developed by famous designers who want to explore new shapes and ideas. Discover some 3D printed furniture projects on this page and leave with some great home decor ideas!
1. Batoidea Chair & Footstool
Taking design cues from stingrays, Peter Donders created the eye-catching Batoidea chair and footstool. Modeled after 3D-printed sand moulds, these objects showcase cast constructions made of thin-walled aluminium and painted using the methods employed in the automotive sector.
The Voxeljet service center made the Batoidea set, which is a limited set. The high-quality materials and elaborate craftsmanship make these items a show-stopping embellishment for any room. The inventive combination of 3D printing with traditional casting techniques showcased by Donders demonstrates the possibility of producing one-of-a-kind, high-quality furniture.
Price: $26,400
Source: Peter Donders.
2. KARO Coffee Table from Zortrax
One of the best 3D printing brands is none other than Zortrax, and they prove their technology in the KARO coffee table. Being a unique piece of furniture, the legs of this beautiful creation are manufactured by 3D printing with the help of Zortrax’s Z-ULTRAT filament in black, grey, and ivory.
The legs are made from 15 diamond-shaped and triangular modules and amount to 3 kg of used plastic or 263 hours of printing. At the same time, such ornamentations perform the functions of a frame, as well as enhance the table’s overall appearance in the context of the chosen modern style. A circular glass top is then placed on top of the base, making it a chic and practical option for both indoor and outdoor use as a coffee table.
KARO coffee table has a weather-resistant body, thus suitable for different weather conditions in various places. Due to its flat structure in its collapsed form, it can conveniently be assembled and broken down, therefore having versatility in how it may be set up.
Source: 3d print.
3. Puzzle Chair
The Puzzle Chair from BITS&PARTS is another interesting example of home furniture that can be assembled and disassembled like a puzzle. This chair is available on this website as a free download and can be made through 3D printing at one’s home or, better still, at any 3D service provider.
It comes with different designs of children’s furniture; they include the “Kids Maker Chair 19” and the “Maker Puzzle Chair,” and the number of pieces varies for every design. For instance, the “Kids Maker Chair 39” comprises 39 pieces. It uses metals in a way that you will not easily fall sick even if you bent it; each piece weighs approximately 170 grams, and the entire chair requires about 3. This is because they used 5 kg of filament in each color that is used in the manufacturing of the clothes. As for the filament, it is 0.7mm in diameter, and the recommended size is 2.85mm ABS. This material is quite strong and has a great potential to be durable.
The Puzzle Chair is also unique in the sense that the customers can select a variety of colors and thus come up with a chair that will be unique to them. Due to an inventive and fun aesthetic, this table became a great choice for a children’s bedroom or as an addition to any modern minimalist interior.
Purchase link: Octofiber
Price: €27
4. ALEKSA Studio’s Table
ALEKSA Studio is a London-based company that has produced this beautiful table, which is as useful as art and speaks volumes about the efficiency of 3D printing in producing furniture pieces. The legs of the table were developed utilizing Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) technology provided by 3D Print UK, which produced a light and very robust structure. These are lightweight, but they are capable of bearing a Walnut Wood tabletop, showing the effectiveness of the 3D printing technology.
As for the form, the table is not only beautiful but also effective as it has the ability to make different versions and styles on request. This flexibility enables the customers to get a table that suits their needs as well as the space they have available for it. The table designed by ALEKSA Studio is an excellent example of how the application of such a contemporary approach as 3D printing can bring out the best of craftsmanship based on the achievements of the Industrial Revolution and improved by the twenty-first century.
Source: Alexa studio.
5. Jon Christie’s Chairs
Jon Christie, a DJ and designer, has created a collection of chairs that implement Scandinavian design and the use of 3D printing technology. These chairs use 3D printed gaskets and were again seen as providing more freedom in terms of color and design. With additive manufacturing technology widely adopted for the use of fused deposition modeling (FDM) from Ultimaker, the designed product will have some designs that are impossible to produce with conventional manufacturing techniques.
The chairs are not only beautiful and aesthetic but also ergonomic; they are well-designed and well-built to meet the needs of every modern-day home. The manner in which Christie has approached furniture design indicates a comprehension of the historical methods of making furniture and, at the same time, embraces the modernity of the methods used in manufacturing. It is also possible to order specific colors and finishes for the chairs that the customers may prefer.
Source: Studio John Christie.
6. Steelcase & MIT Collaboration
The collaboration between Steelcase, MIT’s Self-Assembly Lab, and designer Christopher Guberan has led to the creation of a groundbreaking 3D printing method known as Rapid Liquid Printing. This innovative technique allows for the rapid creation of complex structures within a gel, free from the limitations of gravity. One of the most notable outcomes of this collaboration is an original table that was printed in just 28 minutes.
The table’s design takes full advantage of the capabilities of Rapid Liquid Printing, resulting in a piece that is both structurally sound and visually captivating. The absence of gravity constraints during the printing process allows for more fluid and organic shapes, making the table a standout piece in any room. This collaboration showcases the potential of 3D printing to remold furniture design and manufacturing, offering new possibilities for speed, customization, and creativity.
Source: design boom.
7. IKEA’s Gamer Chair
IKEA, in collaboration with the 3D printing start-up UNIQ, has ventured into the world of personalized gaming furniture with its Gamer Chair. This innovative chair is designed to be ergonomic, interactive, and customizable to the user's body shape. By scanning their body, customers can order a chair tailored to their specific measurements, ensuring maximum comfort during long gaming sessions. The chair is expected to be delivered within two weeks of the scan, highlighting the efficiency of the 3D printing process.
IKEA's Gamer Chair is not only about comfort but also about performance, as the design incorporates features that enhance the gaming experience, such as support for proper posture and adjustable components. This product represents the future of personalized furniture, combining the convenience of 3D printing with the high standards of ergonomic design.
Source: IKEA
Price: €199
8. Reform Lounge Chair
The Ocke Series by BigRep in one large-scale 3D-printed furniture showcases what can be done through large-scale 3D printing. This furniture set consists of a chair and sofa, and it is 98% 3D printed in a single piece with the help of BigRep ONE v3 printer and is designed by Beatrice Müller. This particular printer has a huge build volume of 1m³, which makes it possible to produce large structures with detailed designs.
The Ocke Series is praised for its attractive and innovative appearance and comfortable construction that ensures comfortable seating while asserting itself in any given space. It also means that high-quality filament is used in making the furniture in order to give it maximum durability while being lightweight.
3D printing tech from the customization perspective means that designers as well as homeowners get the opportunity to work with shapes, texture, and color that is not possible with traditional furniture manufacturing, and this creates unique but appealing furniture pieces that are not only artistic but also practical.
Source: Bigrep.
Having looked at the 3D printed furniture ideas to try, it’s also important to have a look at the best furniture design software. There are many that are available, but we recommend using SelfCAD. It is an easy to use 3D design software that comes with all the necessary tools that you need to create both simple and complex 3D models of furniture. The video below shows the overview of the software.
In addition to 3D modeling tools, the software also comes with an in-built online slicer that you can use to slice your designs and generate the G-code to send to your 3D printer. The video below shows how the slicer of SelfCAD works.
Enjoy powerful modeling, rendering, and 3D printing tools without the steep learning curve.
Need to learn 3D modeling? Get started with interactive tutorials.