Knowing that homegoods and furniture have great opportunity for improvement in materiality, I chose to seek out alternative solutions as well as finding ways to make the process of fabricating and assembling furniture easy to understand and affordable. With the help of open-source platforms and online communities of fellow DIYers, I was able to gather insight on how to make this happen.

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A popular choice for both designers and DIYers alike is mycelium, thanks to its plastic-like qualities such as its ability to be easily shaped and sculpted. More reasons to love mycelium is that it also happens to be flame retardant, water resistant [19], and has the capacity, as we’ve demonstrated across this book, to have different scales of density/strength based on how it's fabricated. And of course, its biodegradability is a plus. On top of all this, mycelium is self-binding and can be grown with almost any substrate, creating a strong and durable material appropriate for furniture. For example, according to Philip Ross, co-Founder and CTO of MycoWorks, a San Francisco based company that grows biomaterials out of mycelium, at its final stage in fabrication, mycelium can be compared to concrete in its strength, while also being remarkably however it is much lighter [48].

For my project, I chose to explore making a modular side table. This can seem like an intimidating DIY project for an individual to take on, but you will find with the right tools and methods, you can easily design, fabricate, and use your finished product in a matter of a few weeks. The research for the project has shown me that it is not only possible to grow a table, but one that is both practical and beautiful. For example, Dr. Natalia Piorecka, who explored making furniture with mycelium for her dissertation at Newcastle University, successfully created a chair and stool [28].

Accessibility for DIY projects was also important for Piorecka and she first set out to see the most affordable way to cultivate mycelium in a home environment. She used two approaches, one using self-prepared material composite and the other was a dehydrated mycelium mixture from the company Ecovative. The final result showed that using the dehydrated mycelium yielded the best results in its ability to grow in complex shapes and durability. With more chances of survival, this also made it the best option for affordability and therefore accessibility.

I based much of my methodology on her research, where she worked with oyster mushrooms in the dehydrated mycelium mix, which I also used for my project’s mycelium. She found that it grew the fastest and specifically with hemp and aspen substrates, therefore I also incorporated this in my process [31]. In addition, she tested conifer pine wood chips, a straw- woodchip mixture, and cardboard by itself--another method I adopted. Lastly, she used prefabricated molds and because this method may not be easily available; however, I chose to deviate from that step and instead use cardboard for its higher accessibility and ability to be easily shaped. Following her discoveries and being aware of potential challenges, you should be able to successfully grow your own table.

The hope is that this project will spark more conversations and curiosity about how we engage with our everyday environments, especially with home goods such as furniture. The goal is to be left with a sense of empowerment to create practical goods in the comfort of your own home while knowing that you are also making a healthy choice for both you and the environment. It might seem like making a table is one small solution to the larger issues the environment is facing, but can you imagine if more and more people knew this was available, affordable, and with easy-to-follow instructions? Large scale change always happens with individual effort, and I believe these methods outlined can gain momentum, not only in the furniture industry but many other applications as well.