{"id":230347,"date":"2026-06-10T14:41:29","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T14:41:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/if-ikea-makes-chairs-this-couple-is-using-an-unusual-technique-growing-them-in-their-garden-until-they-grow-naturally\/"},"modified":"2026-06-10T14:41:31","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T14:41:31","slug":"if-ikea-makes-chairs-this-couple-is-using-an-unusual-technique-growing-them-in-their-garden-until-they-grow-naturally","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/if-ikea-makes-chairs-this-couple-is-using-an-unusual-technique-growing-them-in-their-garden-until-they-grow-naturally\/","title":{"rendered":"If Ikea Makes Chairs, This Couple is Using an Unusual Technique: Growing Them in Their Garden Until They Grow Naturally"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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## Growing Chairs: A Revolutionary Technique<\/p>\n

At the beginning of the 20th century, a Wisconsin banker grew tired of people praising the furniture he made from wood. His ambitious promise was that he would one day grow a chair stronger than any made by human hands. It took eleven years to achieve this remarkable goal. Today, a couple from the United Kingdom is taking it a step further.<\/p>\n

## An Idea Born in Front of a Bonsai<\/p>\n

Gavin Munro, compelled by his childhood experiences in hospitals due to scoliosis and Klippel-Feil syndrome, found solace in observing trees from his window. Surrounded by bonsai trees, one particular tree, resembling a throne, became the seed for his imaginative concept. What started as childhood fantasy transformed into an obsession; if trees could be shaped into chairs, why not grow them in that shape from the start?<\/p>\n

## Rethinking Manufacturing from the Roots<\/p>\n

Years later, while studying furniture design, Gavin revisited this idea. An academic exercise assessing the life cycle of a soda can revealed the tremendous resources and industrial effort behind everyday manufacturing. This reflection led him to question traditional furniture production, considering the absurdity of growing trees only to cut and reconstruct them. What if nature could do much of the work?<\/p>\n

## The Birth of the Chair Orchard<\/p>\n

In 2006, Gavin and his wife, Alice Munro, a horticultural specialist, embarked on their unique venture by establishing a garden they named the Chair Orchard in Derbyshire. Early years were fraught with challenges, including mistakes, location changes, and even cows destroying young trees. Yet, they persevered, developing a method that elegantly blends design with centuries-old agricultural techniques to grow trees into predetermined shapes.<\/p>\n

## How to Grow a Living Chair<\/p>\n

The method of growing a living chair is incredibly labor-intensive. It begins with a young tree that spends several years developing its roots. The trunk is carefully cut to encourage new growth, which is guided around specially designed structures to outline the silhouette of an inverted chair. The Munros continuously prune branches and graft shoots to encourage growth in desired shapes. Over the years, various parts of the tree merge naturally, ultimately forming a solid piece, which is then harvested, dried, and polished.<\/p>\n

## Twenty Years of Effort for Few Pieces<\/p>\n

After almost two decades of experimentation, the Munros have encountered slow progress. Many promising designs unexpectedly failed just before being harvested, and some species responded better than others. Nonetheless, they have successfully created functional prototypes, including tables, benches, and lamps. Each piece embodies years of patience and diligent observation.<\/p>\n

## Collaborating with Nature<\/p>\n

Through their experience, the Munros realized that their success depended less on control and more on collaboration with the trees. By respecting the natural growth patterns rather than forcing artificial shapes, they adapt their designs accordingly. The small wrinkles and imperfections on finished pieces are tokens of this partnership.<\/p>\n

## Artistic Statements Worth High Value<\/p>\n

While their creations can function as furniture, they are primarily marketed as art pieces. Exhibited in galleries and museums across Europe, Asia, and the United States, including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, these unique chairs can fetch prices starting at around $87,000. Ironically, the Munros do not own any of their pieces, fearing their dog might destroy them.<\/p>\n

## A Vision Still in Progress<\/p>\n

Gavin Munro believes he is just at the beginning of his journey. Their ambition extends beyond selling exclusive pieces; they aspire to teach their technique through the Full Grown Academy and promote the concept of furniture gardens. What started as a child’s dream of growing a chair has evolved into a transformative project. Ultimately, the Munros aim to inspire communities to create their own objects sustainably.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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General News – 2<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

## Growing Chairs: A Revolutionary Technique At the beginning of the 20th century, a Wisconsin banker grew tired of people praising the furniture he made from wood. His ambitious promise was that he would one day grow a chair stronger than any made by human hands. It took eleven years to achieve this remarkable goal. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":230348,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36399],"tags":[14313,1002,6196,5824,6110,10438,17636,13897,5100],"class_list":["post-230347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-chairs","tag-couple","tag-garden","tag-grow","tag-growing","tag-ikea","tag-naturally","tag-technique","tag-unusual"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230347","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=230347"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230347\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":230349,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230347\/revisions\/230349"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/230348"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=230347"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=230347"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=230347"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}