ARTIST GROWS INCREDIBLE FURNITURE FROM TREES GROWING OUT THE GROUND

Furniture designer Gavin Munro is questioning ideas of traditional furniture design with what he refers to as "Zen 3D printing." Rather than felling old trees to make chairs and tables out of sawdust and nails, his business Full Grown cultivates furniture from the ground up. Trees are shaped, grafted, and planted with purpose to create particular structures. They are already exquisite furniture pieces when harvested.

He has been working on this technique with his team for ten years; it's a laborious process that takes time to mature trees. 3,000 trees have been planted on a four-acre field that serves as their outdoor factory in the United Kingdom. There are 500 pieces in production right now, including tables, chairs, and lamps. The finished pieces are made entirely of grafts where necessary, with no glue or joints. Beautiful sculptures that respect the original material and show what can be achieved with careful human intervention are the end result.

Munro came up with the concept when he was young, inspired by a bonsai he saw in his garden that had grown into the shape of a chair. A few years later, when illness required him to spend extended periods of time in the hospital, that memory gave rise to Full Grown. He gained patience during that period, which would be useful in a process that takes many years to complete.

It's essentially a very straightforward art. First, as young tree branches grow over specially made formers, you train and prune them. We then graft them together at specific points so that the object grows into a single, solid piece. Munro says, "I find it interesting how this is similar to an organic 3D printer that uses sunlight, soil, and air as its source materials." "Once the tree reaches the desired shape, we continue to tend to it as it thickens and ages. In the winter, we harvest it and allow it to dry and season. The wood and grain within can then be showcased by planing and finishing.

Full Grown's prototype Willow Chair has been added to the permanent collection of the National Museum of Scotland, indicating the company's success. They recently started a Kickstarter to raise money for their last year before starting a new harvest. Full Grown is an innovative idea that has the potential to completely change the way we think about furniture design because of its low material costs and ability to grow anywhere.