Grow your own furniture using fungus 

Grow your own furniture using fungus
Furniture made from fungus could offer a novel alternative to conventional manufacture and the waste associated with mass production.
Designers in London have devised a method to 'grow' your own furniture using the thread-like vegetative part of fungus, called mycelium. The procedure, known as 'biofacture', mixes waste woodchip with mycelium from a fungus species commonly known as horse hoof fungus (Fomes fomentarius).
Designer and furniture maker Sebastian Cox said he and colleague Ninela Ivanova identified this mycelium species as particularly effective when combined with woodchip from coppiced hazel and goat willow.
"It has a hair-like property which we can use to grow through the wood and bind it together," explained Cox at his design studio in south London.
"Over time, that spreads throughout the wood and you have what we call 'myceliated' wood. At that point we then take it, tear it apart, put it into a mould and then it re-grows within that mould, into the shape that we want it."
The woodchip-mycelium mixture is packed into purpose made frames, after which all you have to do is wait for nature to take its course as the fungus grows and takes shape around the mould.
"It's a low-energy process, so it doesn't require lights, temperature or any specific humidity conditions. It's also a very fast process, so it allows us to have a piece ready in 4-6 weeks," said Ivanova.
She added that the designer decides when to halt the fungus growth: "As designers we can control the process. By understanding how the fungus behaves we can decide when we want to terminate the process and preserve the shape and the textures as they are. At that point we then dry the piece and it's ready."
So far they've created lampshades and stools using the process, all of which are lightweight, structurally strong and fire retardant. They're also completely compostable.
Cox hopes his furniture could also change the reputation of the wood they're using - mainly hazel and goat willow; two species of British wood largely without economic value and often considered as waste.
"Some of the species we're working with don't even have a good property as firewood. So if we can find a use for it and actually create a commercial demand for that material, that's much better for the woodlands which are being managed and harvested," he said.
Several pieces of their 'grown furniture' have gone on display for the first time at an exhibition in London coinciding with the London Design Festival (September 18-24).
Cox and his team are now investigating how their method could be up-scaled and commercialised. However, convincing people to have fungus furniture in their homes is still a challenge to overcome, he admitted.
"We really want to encourage people to think of this as a material that you'd be happy to have in your home," said Cox.
"It's perfectly safe and it's not gross; it's actually really beautiful. It feels soft and lovely, it's got all of the really appealing properties of things like velvet or leather."