Five clever joint systems that transform basic materials into furniture without glue

Designers are developing fixing systems that allow raw or sheet materials to be assembled into furniture and taken apart just as easily. We've picked out five of the best examples.

The design industry is increasingly seeking alternatives to glue, which limits the potential for repairing and recycling, and can also contain toxic chemicals.

This has led to an increase in the number of designers developing innovative joint systems, offering efficient and more eco-conscious ways of fixing materials together.

Some of these designs have been used to create furniture out of sheet materials, from timber to glass, while others have been developed specifically for use with unprocessed natural materials.

Unlike glue, these joint systems are typically designed to allow objects to be disassembled with little or no damage to the material. This makes them particularly suitable for use in temporary installations, as well as other applications.

In some cases, they were developed with ease of use in mind, allowing anyone to attempt building their own furniture. Others involve more specialist craft processes, celebrating the skills of the maker.

Read on for five of the best examples we've discovered:

Jorge Penadés uses ratchet straps to make tables from partially shattered glass

Spanish designer Jorge Penadés first started using leather ratchet straps to make furniture in 2018. By punching holes into sheets of glass and threading the straps through, he found a way of assembling 3D objects.

The latest iteration, titled "Look Mum, No UV", uses a three-layer tempered glass. The middle layer of the glass has been shattered, reducing the transparency and making each piece look deceptively fragile.

"This joining system forms a sharp contrast with the delicacy of the glass and results in a piece that is simultaneously refined and robust," said Penadés.

He is keen to apply the technique to other materials, or try it on an architectural scale.

"I'd like to scale up from furniture to a small pavilion," he told Dezeen. "If I can prove it works, we can take it to a larger scale."

Marte Mei designs ceramic "puzzle pieces" for joining timber planks

Dutch designer Marte Mei teamed up with woodcraftsman Rutger van der Zee, founder of Studio van der Zee, on Crafted Connections, which was originally developed during a residency at Schloss Hollenegg in Austria.

Ceramic "puzzle pieces" connect planks of naturally split beech or pine wood, forming the uprights and feets of a shelving system.

The ceramics were glazed using wood ash from the same tree, which results in shades of soft green and grey.

"Crafted Connections explores the idea that craftsmanship can be used to collaborate with nature," said Mei.

"The wood is shaped by the craftsman to fit the ceramic elements so that they can be combined like a puzzle, without using nails, screws or glue."

The designer is now developing a larger scale version of Crafted Connections, which she will unveil in early 2026.

Andu Masebo's blue plates make it easy for anyone to build furniture

Named Emerging Designer of the Year at Dezeen Awards 2025, London-based Andu Masebo teamed up with Mikey Krzyzanowski on Making Room, an exhibition where visitors made the furniture and objects on show.

To make the construction process easier for unskilled participants, Masebo designed a series of flat and folded steel plates. These provided clear fixing points, allowing multiple pieces of wood to be easily screwed together.

"We wanted to give people the opportunity to come up with an idea for a piece of furniture and make it in that moment, without having to get tied down with the technicalities of construction," Masebo explained.

The plates were conceived as blue circles, matching the visual identity of the exhibition.

"We were celebrating the join, rather than hiding it," added Masebo.

Marguerite Perianu makes bamboo furniture using 3D-printed connectors

Design Academy Eindhoven graduate Marguerite Perianu uses 3D printing to produce the connectors for her bamboo benches, vases and lamps, with each joint customised to match the irregularities of the material.

After cutting the canes, she scans them and adapts her 3D templates to precisely match the shape and dimensions of each one. She then 3D prints the joints using a compostable PLA filament.

"Bamboo is not a perfect cylinder; it is a living, irregular material. I wanted to respect its integrity by allowing the digital tool to adapt to it, not the other way around," Perianu told Dezeen.

The system allows the bamboo canes to be left raw, with only small cuts required to keep the connectors in place.

"Since the 3D-printed connectors are modelled to fit precisely around each bamboo segment, they offer the right amount of resistance and structural stability," said the designer.

"Nothing is fused together irreversibly, which means everything can be repaired, replaced, or reconfigured without damaging the structure."

Remi Reniers uses steel clamps to connect stone offcuts

Another Design Academy Eindhoven graduate, designer Remi Reniers developed a joint system for fixing together pieces of raw stone.

Her laser-cut steel clamps fix onto pieces of raw stone, with small screws used to adjust the tightness.

She has used the clamps to create tables and shelving units, formed of different colours and varieties of stone.

"The strength of this system lies in the fact that the material itself is not compromised," Reniers said.

"In principle, the object can be fully disassembled when it reaches the end of its lifespan , enabling both the stones and the connecting pieces to be reused."

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