Gallery: No Shiitake, This Chair Is Made of Mushrooms

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    Designer Eric Klarenbeek's Mycelium Chair combines the precision of 3-D printers with the emergent behavior of biological organisms. *Photo: Studio Eric Klarenbeek*
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    Inside a bioplastic shell filled with straw pellets, mycelium fungi grew and eventually sprouted mushrooms on the surface. *Photo: Studio Eric Klarenbeek*
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    The chair's sinuous curves look organic, but were all painstakingly specified with CAD software and 3-D printed as hollow skins. *Photo: Studio Eric Klarenbeek*
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    mushroom-04-Johan-Baars-WUR-Wageningen-University

    Straw pellets provided the shell with strength and acted as a food source for the mycelium spores. *Photo: Johan Baars*
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    The mycelium acts like an organic glue, binding the chair together and transforming the flimsy husk into a sturdy household item. Tiny perforations in the surface gave way and allowed mushrooms to sprout, creating an unplanned organic upholstery. *Photo: Studio Eric Klarenbeek*
  • Early experiments proved challenging. We had burning 3D printers exploding bottles collapsing structures contaminated...
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    Early experiments proved challenging. "We had burning 3-D printers, exploding bottles, collapsing structures, contaminated substrates, but luckily, also several 'happy accidents.'" *Photo: Studio Eric Klarenbeek*
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    A miniature 3-D model of the form Klarenbeek used to work out the design. *Photo: Studio Eric Klarenbeek*
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    In addition to building the chair, Klarenbeek also had to design a mobile laboratory to fabricate his chair—the project was part of an outdoor exhibition combining the visual arts and life sciences. *Photo: Studio Eric Klarenbeek*
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    09

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    An early structural prototype 3-d printed with a straw-based polymer. *Photo: Studio Eric Klarenbeek*
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    10

    mushroom-01-Fotografie-Sjoerd-Sijsma

    The Mycelium Chair is a fanciful proof of concept, but with proper controls, the fungus/straw combo could be molded into unique shapes and potentially replace the styrofoam blocks that surround televisions and other electronics during shipping. *Photo: Sjoerd\_Sijsma*
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    11

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    "We can 3-D print both the house, insulating structure and its skin at once," he says. "By combining 3-D printing and mycelium, the applications are endless." *Photo: Studio Eric Klarenbeek*
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    Klarenbeek believes getting more designers involved in probiotic production is critical and is trying to productize his mobile lab with hopes that other designers will take up the challenge. *Photo: Studio Eric Klarenbeek*
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    13

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    Klarenbeek attempted to print the chair's form in a traditional manner using a straw-based polymer with the hopes that mushrooms would grow on the surface. Sadly, it didn't work out as expected. *Photo: Studio Eric Klarenbeek*
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