The Mycelium Furniture Project was my self-directed high school capstone for The Cambridge School of Weston. I grew parts from mycelium, the underground body of fungus, to build a sustainably-source coffee table. I also designed, modeled, and rendered modular mycelium furniture for possible future manufacturing for both home and public use.
When I began the project, I planned to create mid-century inspired furniture incorporating bioplastic and CNC-milling, but after realizing that I did not have the resources to process bioplastic, I decided to work with mycelium. Due to the physical properties mycelium, I shifted away from the detail and curvature of mid-century furniture while still keeping the minimalist aesthetic.
After growing parts for a simple coffee table, I intended to CNC-mill a bamboo chair structure and grow additional mycelium components for more complicated designs. As I transitioned to working from home due to COVID-19, however, I switched to 3d modeling modular furniture and putting the designs through structural analysis simulations.