In the late 1960s and early 1970s, architect Frank Gehry reportedly noticed a pile of corrugated cardboard outside his Los Angeles office and began experimenting with this humble, everyday material. By layering and gluing sheets in alternating directions, he discovered he could create something surprisingly strong, durable and wonderfully sculptural.

The result was his groundbreaking Easy Edges furniture collection of 1972, including the playful Wiggle Chair. Its extraordinary, ribbon-like silhouette looks more like a work of art than something you would actually sit on, yet it is remarkably robust and comfortable. The collection became such an unexpected success that Gehry withdrew it from production, uncomfortable with being celebrated as a furniture designer rather than an architect.

He later handed over the production rights to Vitra, who continue to manufacture the Wiggle Chair today. A wonderful example of how an ordinary, discarded material, a little curiosity and an unconventional imagination can create an extraordinary design icon.