In the world of green furnishings there are always a few literalists out there looking to push the envelope and create something truly “green”. Growing and thriving with CO2 neutralizing chlorophyll, Inhabitat’s Top 5 Living Furnishings presents a range of items from the practical to the prototypical. Some are bound by man-made restraints while others grow directly from the soil–in any form or fashion, these designs are truly alive!
5. Michel Bussien’s Growing Chair
Accompanied by a Nature Manifesto, Swiss designer Michel Bussien’s Growing Chair acts as a statement and display piece. A reconvergence of man and nature formed the inspiration for the chair. Russian vines hug willow branches as they creep up each leg and straight out of the chair back, all from within the confines of a transparent frame.
4. Nguyen la Chanh’s Moss Bath Rug
Nguyen la Chanh’s ingenious mossy bath mat provides a lush surface for stepping out of the tub, all the while making use of your post-scrub drips. Formed in rot-free foam, the moss thrives in humid environments and requires virtually no maintenance. Just make sure you keep showering on a regular basis!
3. Peter Cook’s Pooktre Chair
The Pooktre chair is an amazing example of natural living design. Australian Peter Cook’s tree manipulations take several years to become sturdy and functional without the use of any unnatural elements. If you’re willing to wait a few years, you’re invited to collaborate on a project at Pooktre gardens and eventually transplant it into your own soil.
2. Shinwei Rhoda Yen’s Mushrooms Ate My Furniture
Recommended for outdoor use, Shinwei Rhoda Yen’s mushroom stool has a dark underbelly embedded with spores. After a few weeks in your soggy garden mushrooms will grow and live right under your bum. A few years down the road, the stool will be overtaken by mushrooms and eventually biodegrade back into the earth.
1. DIY Terra Grass Armchair Kit
Our number one pick for living furnishings, the Terra Grass Armchair, incorporates a lot of our favorite eco-labels and catchphrases: D.I.Y., Cradle-to-Cradle, organic, biodegradable, customizable, and most importantly–living! The armchair kit comes with a cardboard frame (which you could easily rig up yourself with a few leftover boxes) in the shape of an armchair. You simply fill in the holes with soil and let ‘er grow. Don’t let the word ‘grass’ constrain you either, this could easily be done with soft moss, creeping flowers or groundcovers. Just don’t wear white pants!
A few other excellent examples of living furnishings that didn’t quite make the cut include the Living Lawn Chaise and the Eco-Ball. An extra special honorable mention goes out to Inhabitat’s own Emily Pilloton for her Grow Your Own Chaise Lounge, a prototype from her earlier days before Project H Design.
