Here’s a revolutionary idea. Plant tree seedlings, then train them over moulds as they grow into shapes that resemble items of furniture. And considering the cost of timber, plus the time and money it takes to learn and perfect a craft, and come up with an angle to market it…this could be a winner.
UK company Full Grown is doing just that. Gavin Munro, company head, has a degree in furniture design and has also spent studying botanical craftsmanship for 10 years. On his website Gavin points out there are other historical examples of furniture being ‘grown’, and points also to influences of bonsai and creating organically shaped items of furniture from driftwood.
‘Instead of cutting trees down, chopping them into smaller bits, moving those bits around, drying them out, cutting them into smaller bits again, and sticking them back together again, we’ve bypassed that completely and can now grow trees directly into the shapes and forms we want,’ says Gavin in the video below.
More than that, Munro and his team especially enjoy creating furniture forms that have such a visible and visceral connection between the wood used and the trees they are grown from.
Limited editions of chairs, lamps and mirror frames are currently in ‘production’ however the scope for new designs really is unlimited.
More information about Full Grown at fullgrown.co.uk and in the video below.