Designer Eric Klarenbeek's Mycelium Chair combines the precision of 3-D printers with the emergent behavior of biological organisms. Photo: Studio Eric Klarenbeek

Inside a bioplastic shell filled with straw pellets, mycelium fungi grew and eventually sprouted mushrooms on the surface. Photo: Studio Eric Klarenbeek

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

Straw pellets provided the shell with strength and acted as a food source for the mycelium spores. Photo: Johan Baars

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 3-D printers, exploding bottles, collapsing structures, contaminated substrates, but luckily, also several 'happy accidents.'" Photo: Studio Eric Klarenbeek

A miniature 3-D model of the form Klarenbeek used to work out the design. Photo: Studio Eric Klarenbeek

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

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

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

"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

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

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