Designers get inspired by more and more unique things to create what they want, and the pieces we are sharing today are inspired by fungi!
London-based designer Nir Meiri has created a series of table lamps using mushroom mycelium, as an alternative to synthetic materials. The shades for each of the minimal table lamps is made from mycelium – the vegetative part of a fungus – while more conventional metal forms the stand and base. Each lamp is illuminated from below by a separate light source, which projects onto the mycelium shade to create a soft, natural glow. All the lamps are produced using naturally occurring biological processes.
To create the shades, paper waste is placed inside a shaped mound before mycelium spores are inserted into it and left to grow under controlled conditions of temperature and humidity. After two weeks the paper waste is been consumed by the fungus, leaving a mycelium base with fungus growing from it. This material is then taken out of the mound and left to dry, and the excess growing fungus is removed. Once the mycelium has dried completely, it is pressed to form a flat substance that is used as a lamp shade.