Designer uses obsolete electronics to create unbelievable furniture

Anyone with the slightest bit of interest in technology will no doubt find what Benjamin Rollins Caldwell is doing in his South Carolina design studio to be absolutely fascinating: referred to as the “Binary Collection”, Caldwell is repurposing thousands of discarded computer and electronic circuit boards, cables, and more, into cabinets, tables, and chairs.

The Binary Chair.

The Binary Table.

The project has become so popular, in fact, that it’s even attracted the interest of pop singer Lady Gaga. She selected Caldwell’s Binary Chair to be used in her “Artpop” album launch, and has since used it during a taping on Good Morning America, and will be making it a fixture on her worldwide tour.

Lady Gaga’s Binary Chair (first picture in this article is the same chair, sans Gaga).

Caldwell is no stranger to the idea of repurposing junk into furniture; his previous collections range from the re-use of clothing tags and old books to plastic bottle caps and old soda boxes.

The idea to use electronics came when he happened upon a batch of circuit boards dumped in a warehouse near his studio. He saw potential in the discarded technology, and from there, the Binary Collection was born.

Smaller Binary Chair.

Obviously, when you attract the interest of celebrities like Lady Gaga, your days of dumpster diving are over: Caldwell now accepts donations from schools and companies on a regular basis.

Worth noting is the fact that, according to previous interviews, Caldwell does his very best to leave as many of the mechanical bits (e.g. antennas, disc drives, etc.) functioning. This way, the piece not only serves as furniture, it’s also fully functional, too.

Binary Chair (Gaga version).