
A man who grows fields full of tables and chairs (2015) - jacquesm
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-32977012
======
jccooper
They're still growing the first batch, apparently, and still taking pre-
orders.

[https://fullgrown.co.uk/](https://fullgrown.co.uk/)

And apparently investors (with some sales numbers):

[https://www.shadowfoundr.com/investments/583/full-
grown/?fan...](https://www.shadowfoundr.com/investments/583/full-
grown/?fandf=1)

------
sambroner
Jeeze this is cool. It reminds me of some of my early fantasy books. Perhaps
they do this in Eragon?

This link is from 2015, but it appears they're still going strong [0]. The
business just seems brutal. They're combining long production cycles with a
relatively "fad-ish" product group. I'm hopeful they can scale it up!

[0] [https://fullgrown.co.uk](https://fullgrown.co.uk)

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Izkata
The image at the bottom indicates the trees are killed and turned into
portable traditionally-shaped chairs/tables/etc.

This actually disappoints me. I was hoping for shaped trees that would be
transplanted into parks and keep growing, the kind of thing you see in fantasy
settings.

~~~
lolc
The article mixes two things: Growing willows into furniture and turning
driftwood into furniture. But yes, the seat is harvested, not transplanted.
Still-growing furniture would be a heavy burden in maintenance.

~~~
im3w1l
Would be really cool though. I hope they start doing that in addition to the
harvested ones.

~~~
danwills
Totally! It looked like the chairs were grown upside-down though, can kinda
see why given the topology of most chairs vs tree topology, but hopefully just
a bit more and/or stronger training and coppicing, seems like it should be
possible to do a right-way-up one.

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hristov
The elves in dwarf fortress do that. However, the elves can harvest their
wooden objects without killing the tree. It is a pretty good system except
they tend to get very judgmental about dwarves cutting down trees. I do hope
Gavin Munro can sell his wares and prosper without reaching elven style
haughtiness.

~~~
maxerickson
Coppice doesn't kill the trees.

They start with a small to medium size tree that has been cut to (roughly)
ground level and train the sprouts that come up off of it.

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hakcermani
Reminded of this article. Not exactly the same as the bridges grow in place,
but the idea of growing the final product is similar.

[https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/destinations/asia/...](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/destinations/asia/india/footbridges-
grow-from-trees-in-meghalaya-india/)

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ChuckMcM
Fun. I have always imagined using trees to build a fence one one side of my
house with an annoying neighbor. Zoning rules say that fences can only be 6'
(2m) tall, but trees? They just grow and grow :-).

Looking at the picture on the web site of a chair
([https://fullgrown.co.uk/wp-
content/uploads/2018/04/National-...](https://fullgrown.co.uk/wp-
content/uploads/2018/04/National-Museum-of-Scotland-Arm-Chair-600x800.jpg)) I
wonder how durable they will be. Interesting tradeoff between how "complete"
the chair is and how much time it takes to grow. There is also pretty clear
evidence that its been planed at least somewhat to make for smoother surfaces.
Where do you draw the line here? You could put a 1m diameter log into a 5 axis
milling machine and have it carve away everything that was not 'chair'. Would
that count?

~~~
pacaro
Cupressus Leylandii is the normal tree of choice for neighbor disputes. It's
fast growing and light blocking

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Udik
The chairs look like an absolute torture to sit on. But hey, they took only 7
years to make and cost $2500.

~~~
mleonhard
The photo shows a prototype. I expect with a few iterations, the product will
become much better. That will take a long time.

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sergers
How much would a chair cost? 100k?

This would have to be the most laborious and lengthy manufacturing process.

"OPTION 2 Have a chair commissioned and grown especially for you or a loved
one. It will take roughly 7-9 years and can be paid monthly over 7 years."

~~~
memco
> This would have to be the most laborious and lengthy manufacturing process.

In the video from the article, Munro opines that this is actually more time-
efficient since you don't need a 60 year old tree to produce lumber that you
then have to cut and then fasten together to make the structure. Since his
business is still fairly young it would take a long time to market the first
batches, but in another 5 years it seems likely that he'd have reserves and
you could just buy a chair at your convenience. In terms of laboriousness: it
doesn't seem to require lumber milling or furniture-making tools or skills.
More work up front, but maybe less work in the long run?

~~~
sandworm101
A large tree expands, puts down new wood, at a far faster rate than the tiny
saplings making these chairs. Per acre, a forest growing naturally would
product far more wood. So, for a given acreage, a managed forest would product
more wood per year, more chairs, than these art pieces.

~~~
memco
Thanks for sharing! I know nothing about making furniture. Just sharing what I
saw in the article. I took it to be hearsay since there's no analysis of
materials, time or environmental impact. Just a guy and a camera on the
internet.

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DoreenMichele
The origin story of the idea:

 _" As a child I had a spinal condition and underwent surgery to straighten my
back. Part of the treatment was in effect being grafted on a frame, similar to
the way we graft trees. So I appreciated how forms can be shaped - and how
long the process can take.

"Around about the same time, my mum had a bonsai tree. The bonsai was left to
grow in its own direction and eventually formed itself into the shape of a
throne. I was intrigued by this, the thought of a chair being created directly
from nature."_

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euroderf
Related: Axel Erlandson's Tree Circus. A Swedish immigrant who made amazing
treeforms in Santa Cruz CA. Rescued in the 1980s. For example:
[https://www.core77.com/posts/27264/More-Crooked-Forests-
Axel...](https://www.core77.com/posts/27264/More-Crooked-Forests-Axel-
Erlandson-the-Tree-Tinkerer-from-the-1920s-and-His-Surviving-Work)

------
solarkraft
> Chairs are priced at £2,500, lamps start at £700 and mirror frames £450.

Damn. At I might have bought one of those chairs for 500€ or so. But
considering the time sunk into growing one the price is understandable, of
course.

~~~
smabie
The mirror frames and lamps might be something I would be interested in. Don't
think I can justify 2500 for a chair though. Or at least not a wooden one.

------
renewiltord
Fascinating, quite the artwork. I think I'd like one of the cheaper pieces
just for its novelty. Wouldn't trust it to take the load, so maybe the
lampshade or something.

~~~
jbotz
Actually you can definitely trust these pieces to take the load... and then
some. A piece of wood that naturally grew into a specific shape is much strong
along that shape than any kind of joinery you can come up with. This fact has
long been known and exploited in whole-tree and roundwood architecture... do
some image searches for those terms to see some impressive stuff.

~~~
renewiltord
Interesting.

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082349872349872
also:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_shaping](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_shaping)

~~~
HarryHirsch
And there is
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Tree_shaping)

The wikipedists are a very strange bunch.

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bofadeez
Those chairs don't look very comfortable

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anonu
It's a cool concept but it needs to scale to be sustainable. Their website
says it takes 7 to 9 years on a pre order... How does that work in an age with
Prime delivery?

They need an MBA to go in there and shake things up. (Go ahead downvote me).
Figure out new materials that grow faster (like bamboo). Forget the grafting
bit because that probably takes too much time. And make sure there's a
inventory of things people can buy now on their website. People will pay for
immediacy.

On another hand I was expecting not to be able to find them on the web, but
they're still alive. So kudos to them

~~~
lolc
Ah a growth hacker! You go do it. Out-compete them with bamboo!

~~~
anonu
I'm not talking about growth. I'm talking about building a sustainable
business around a cool idea that outlives it's founders...

I'm putting their business in context against the luxury retail backdrop that
isn't looking too good these days

~~~
lolc
> I'm not talking about growth.

Then explain the meaning of these statements:

> it needs to scale to be sustainable

Growth.

> Their website says it takes 7 to 9 years on a pre order

Looks like they have more orders on the book than they are currently growing.
They could grow!

> They need an MBA to go in there and shake things up.

They can only afford an MBA if they grow.

> And make sure there's a inventory of things people can buy now on their
> website.

Grow an inventory?

