LinumTube is a Modular Furniture System Made Without Adhesives
Amy Duong — February 12, 2026 — Art & Design
References: fraunhofer.de & jonathanradetz
The LinumTube furniture system is a modular seating concept constructed using tubular steel and multilayer flax textile without glue, screws, or permanent fasteners. Developed through collaboration between Studio Jonathan Radetz and the Fraunhofer Institute for Wood Research, the system includes chairs, benches, and stools assembled through material tension rather than bonded joints. Steel tubes form the structural frame, while the flax-based textile wraps and locks into place through integrated channels.
The multilayer flax textile is engineered to provide different stiffness levels depending on its interaction with the steel frame, allowing seating surfaces to flex while remaining supportive. Components can be assembled and disassembled without tools, enabling reconfiguration and transport. All elements can be separated by material type at the end of use. The system was presented during Milan Design Week 2025 and consists solely of steel tubing and flax textile components.
Image Credit: Studio Jonathan Radetz, Fraunhofer Institute for Wood Research
The multilayer flax textile is engineered to provide different stiffness levels depending on its interaction with the steel frame, allowing seating surfaces to flex while remaining supportive. Components can be assembled and disassembled without tools, enabling reconfiguration and transport. All elements can be separated by material type at the end of use. The system was presented during Milan Design Week 2025 and consists solely of steel tubing and flax textile components.
Image Credit: Studio Jonathan Radetz, Fraunhofer Institute for Wood Research
Trend Themes
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Glue-free Assembly — The shift to tension-based joints and channel-locking textiles opens possibilities for fully disassemblable products that eliminate adhesives and simplify end-of-life material separation.
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Fiber-based Structural Textiles — Engineered multilayer plant-fiber textiles that vary stiffness by interaction with a frame suggest a new class of load-bearing, lightweight structural skins for furniture and other products.
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Tool-free Modular Systems — Combinations of standardized tubular frames and snap-fit textile components indicate scalable product platforms that enable reconfiguration, transportability, and reuse without tools.
Industry Implications
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Furniture Manufacturing — Manufacturers could pivot from bonded assemblies to componentized, reversible systems that reduce waste streams and lower repair and logistics costs.
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Commercial Contract Seating — Office and hospitality seating suppliers may adopt reconfigurable, glue-free solutions to offer longer-lived, customizable fleets with simplified refurbishment workflows.
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Sustainable Materials Supply — Suppliers of natural-fiber textiles and bio-based multilayer laminates are positioned to supply engineered materials that replace synthetic adhesives and mixed-material assemblies.
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