London-based designer Nir Meiri has created a series of table lamps using mushroom mycelium, as an alternative to synthetic materials.
The shades for each of the minimal table lamps is made from mycelium ? the vegetative part of a fungus ? while more conventional metal forms the stand and base.
Each lamp is illuminated from below by a separate light source, which projects onto the mycelium shade to create a soft, natural glow.

Produced in collaboration with London-based startup Biohm, which works to bring sustainable solutions to the built environment, each of the lamps are made using naturally occurring biological processes.
To create the shades, paper waste is placed inside a shaped mould before mycelium spores are inserted into it and left to grow under controlled conditions of temperature and humidity.
After two weeks the paper waste is been consumed by the fungus, leaving a mycelium base with fungus growing from it. This material is then taken out of the mould and left to dry, and the excess growing fungus is removed.
Once the mycelium has dried completely, it is pressed to form a flat substance that is used as a lamp shade.

Due to the way mycelium consumes waste, Meiri believes that developing the fungi material for use in furniture, lighting and construction could significantly impact the way we can dispose of synthetic waste.
According to a report conducted at the end of 2018 by scientists from London's Kew Gardens, fungi can be used to break down waste material...