Cardboard is an underrated medium. We think of it as the delivery device for other, more important, objects, but cardboard has its own charms. Frank Gehry loved it so much, he used it to make a line of furniture. Bartek Elsner uses it to turn everyday objects into art.

Some of Elsner's pieces are installed in public places -- like an actual-size fireplace in Berlin (top) -- with the intention of forcing the phones-addled commuter to take a second look at what's on the street in front of them.

Part of the appeal of these elaborate replicas is their ephemerality. One rainy night and the fireplace would be a cold, lifeless pile.

To see more of Bartek Elsner's cardboard creations, visit his website.

All photos courtesy of Bartek Elsner