Aidan Reinhold, Parsons Integrated Design ’24, Creates Sustainable Products with Recyclable Materials
Walk down any street in New York City and you’re sure to find pieces of furniture, in various states of use, on the sidewalk, ready for a new home or the dumpster. People are constantly moving, and rarely does all of their home decor make the journey with them.
Aidan Reinhold, Parsons Integrated Design ‘24, moved 9 times between 2019 and 2023, which helped inspire his thesis project, FlatFlat. His residences were almost all small apartments, and although he liked his furniture, he often had to leave it behind due to spatial constraints. Thus, he began thinking of more effective ways to move furniture, while also allowing people the ability to hold onto what they loved.
“My goal with FlatFlat was to make the process of shipment, packing, unpacking, and assembling as simple and efficient as possible, and for the pieces to be durable enough to withstand it,” he explains. “I am trying to create products that can compete with expensive designer works on form and concept that are hand-made locally, with high-quality, sustainable materials as affordably as possible.”
The FlatFlat collection includes a side table, seat, and small rack for the kitchen. Each piece is made from laser-cut aluminum sheets that are locally sourced, and fabricated by hand with aluminum hinges and rivets. As a material, aluminum is infinitely recyclable, corrosion-resistant, lightweight, and resistant to bending.
The side table in its flat-pack form, and the table
“One of my goals with the brand is to bridge the divide between designer furniture and the general consumer market. Designer furniture is often marked up over 400%, and for products that are utilizing higher-end materials and ethical labor, the pieces become inaccessible for the everyday consumer to purchase. On the other hand, large furniture manufacturers are selling their products at increasingly affordable prices, but it is at the cost of quality, sustainability, and labor ethics.”
Reinhold is keenly aware of the issue of overconsumption, especially as it relates to big items like furniture and home decor. True to the Parsons mission of designing for social good, Reinhold is committed to designing and making products in the most sustainable way possible.
“My products to date are and will continue to be 100% American-made aluminum, of which the supply is 80% recycled, and because they are entirely aluminum, can be infinitely recycled once their life is over,” he shares.
The flexibility of the Parsons’ curriculum gave Reinhold the opportunity to explore and figure out what worked for him as a designer, where he was able to experiment with the different material shops, as well as the process of making, designing, and concepting.
Since graduation, Reinhold has showcased FlatFlat around the world, including design fairs in Paris, London, and the Netherlands. His showcase during Dutch Design Week introduced him to a broader audience, and opened up new opportunities he is currently pursuing.
Looking ahead, Reinhold is at work on new pieces, including a pair of chairs that he hopes to debut in May during NYCxDesign. He’s also developing custom seat cushions, and an upholstered convertible sofa bed, all with recycled foam and military surplus fabrics.
“I am in the process of securing a retail space, likely in New York, to function as both a store and studio. I resell vintage in addition to doing FlatFlat, both of which will be in the store and I hope to be ready to open in time for NYCxDesign.”