Anatomy of a Chair
Anatomy of a Chair
The true legacy of design lies not just in what it brings into the world,
but in what it refuses to take from it.
The true legacy of design lies not just in what it brings into the world,
but in what it refuses to take from it.
We are Aifunghi—a name that nods both to the Italian (“with fungi”) and Japanese (“love for fungi”) language and reflects our core material: mycelium-based composite. But that’s just the beginning of our story. It’s not just about one miracle material—it’s about weaving a resilient future from many.
As Celine Sandberg, founder of seaweed-based foam company Agoprene and partner of Aifunghi, puts it: “No single material or solution will fix everything—but many great ones, working together, can.”
Before we dive into our solutions and materials to create future proof design, we`d like to share the journey that brought us here—and the ideas that shaped it.
The longevity of Design
As professionals in the design, manufacturing, and distribution of high-end furniture and lighting products, we’ve come to the realization that our industry faces a profound challenge. While it’s filled with brilliant, creative, and dedicated people, there’s a growing awareness that design is no longer just about aesthetics, luxury, or comfort. It’s increasingly about meaning, and the deeper value embedded in the things we create.
The story behind a product is, in many ways just as important as the product itself. It’s what allows people to connect with, and care about the objects they bring into their lives.
Every design or product story starts with a purpose or inspiration, and the materials and processes used to shape them. But as our understanding deepens, the cracks in those stories begin to show as we’re acknowledging that beauty, function, and innovation are no longer enough. We have to question how things are made, and the importance of what we leave behind.
We often tell, feel and hear that good design should last a lifetime. And while we wholeheartedly support that ideal, the reality is often different. Most furniture doesn’t become an heirloom. And here lies a quiet, uncomfortable truth: even the most cherished pieces—those we consider design furniture, with deep emotional or monetary value—will eventually reach the end of their life.
And there’s a deeper issue still: what we consider a “lifetime of use” is barely a blink to humanity, and less than a blink to the planet. Even centuries of use are nothing in geological time.
This is the core challenge we believe must be addressed: Every man-made object will, eventually, be discarded. And with that in mind, the responsibility for what we create—and what it leaves behind—becomes all the more undeniable.
Single Use
On the surface, the solution seems simple. Reuse products, and when they reach the end of their life, reuse and recycle the materials. In theory, this lets us continue doing what we do—just more consciously. With enough time, willingness and budget we could realize a circular system, where man-made (=synthetic) materials are continuously reused and recycled. This is essentially what is meant by the desire for a ‘circular economy’.
The reality today is however that we lack a global infrastructure that is even remotely capable of recycling all the synthetic materials we’ve produced—past and present. Estimates suggest we manage to recycle far less than 10%. Additionally, many materials degrade during recycling, resulting in unusable residue.
While we support all initiatives to make as much of a circular system possible, the reality is that this is not happening quickly enough. Many methods are too expensive and (or) remain theoretical, especially when it comes to recycling upholstered furniture.
As a result, in reality synthetic materials are often single-use. When their useful life ends, they don’t simply vanish. Instead, a large portion contributes to environmental pollution—whether as microplastics in our oceans and bodies, overflowing landfills, or emissions from incineration plants. Our waste -in the end- finds a way to come back to us.
We couldn’t accept this linear and unsustainable approach as the only option. We believe the future demands better solutions, and we should challenge ourselves to find them within our field of expertise: furniture. That’s exactly where we’re headed next!
Restoring Balance
We came to a clear conclusion: we need future-proof solutions to make furniture truly sustainable — namely, closed-loop materials, based on today’s reality.
We defined a focus on two types of materials—natural ones that can safely return to the earth and are part of nature’s circularity; and man-made ones that are already infinitely and globally recycled, like metals.
It was then that we discovered, that natural materials too present a challenge: time. Specifically, the time it takes for nature to regenerate what we take from it.
To illustrate this principle, let’s consider a familiar construction material for chairs: solid oak. While widely seen as sustainable and durable, true sustainability requires that an oak chair be used for at least as long as it takes for the equivalent oak to regrow—excluding the additional energy, labor, and waste involved in making it.
Examining the oak tree’s lifecycle however highlights the gap between current practices and natural regeneration. Most chairs aren’t kept for a lifetime, let alone passed down as heirlooms. The majority of our furniture is replaced long before the resource can fully replenish.
Additionally, furniture from past decades shows how quickly our needs and tastes change. Shifts in aesthetics, size, comfort, functionality, and finishes mean durability alone doesn’t guarantee lasting demand or appeal.
That means, its not just about durability anymore—it’s about balance.
Making the Pivot
To solve the problem, we turned to materials that grow back quickly and return safely to the environment at the end of their life. Our future depends on bio-based materials that regenerate faster than we consume.
It marks our shift in mindset: from taking from nature, to borrowing from it.
Guided by this vision, we got to work. We leaned on our experience, drew inspiration from the natural world, and embraced experimentation. We challenged the industry’s long-standing norms—those default choices that had gone unquestioned for too long—and revisited materials and forgotten solutions that once held promise.
We moved beyond the conventional furniture supply chain and pivoted into entirely new territory. We explored cutting-edge biotech materials that renew quickly and sought those that grow seasonally, or can be up cycled from abundant agricultural and natural waste streams. We investigated resources that can be truly recycled—infinitely and on a global scale. And we blended innovative materials with proven, overlooked traditional methods.
After conducting this research and compiling a long list of possible solutions that promised feasibility we asked ourselves: With this in mind, what does it truly take to make a great chair?
This journey began with ergonomics and form—because before materials or aesthetics, comfort starts with shape. Any well-designed chair must not off course look beautiful and complement interior spaces, and feel right in use. It should offer a thoughtful range of colors and textures to suit different environments, and should be designed with the ambition of making an object that will last a lifetime / without compromising the health of our planet.
We concluded that a mycelium-based composite would be the ideal starting material. It’s strong, durable, and scalable—capable of forming furniture-sized objects with ease. Made entirely from hemp and mycelium, it relies on two of nature’s most efficient collaborators. Hemp is one of the fastest-growing, most resilient renewable resources on the planet, while mycelium acts as a natural binder, growing into and around the hemp to form a solid, cohesive structure.
And yet, despite its strength, the final product is gentle on the earth: fully biodegradable and home-compostable at the end of its life. No toxins. No trace. Just a return to the soil it came from.
How we took it from there, and created our brand is a story for another day, but the first key result of our extensive research and development is the Banet dining chair, named after the oldest known Dutch word for mushroom.
Anatomy of a Chair
Banet Dining Chair’s foundation is built from just four carefully chosen materials:
- Mycelium-Based Composite (MBC): Produced by our sister company, Growmolding, the chair’s core is formed, as mentioned before, by growing hemp fibers together with mycelium—the root-like structure of mushrooms that acts as a natural, powerful binder. We shaped this bio-composite with ergonomic precision, resulting in a remarkably comfortable chair.
And equally important: we engineered it for strength, making Banet the world’s first mycelium composite chair to pass Contract Level 1 testing. This is proof Banet is durable enough for decades of heavy use in restaurants, offices, and homes. We were thrilled when the lab results showed our chair is as strong—if not stronger—than conventional alternatives!
- Agoprene: A seaweed-based comfort foam, Agoprene is made in Norway using locally sourced Norwegian kelp. Safe enough to eat, this foam offers outstanding longevity—lasting over 20 years without compression—and is naturally flame-retardant to the highest UK safety standards.
- Natural Batting: For a soft and sumptuous feel, we use a batting from upcycled wool from Dutch sheep, or natural cotton batting as a vegan alternative. Both materials ensure comfort and give the chairs a pleasant, soft touch while enhancing the upholstery process.
- PHA (Polyhydroxyalkanoate): Used for the chair’s feet, this home-compostable, 3D-printed material is derived from microbes—not petroleum. Though often compared to plastic, PHA is a natural, organic alternative with no environmental legacy.
To transform this base into a finished chair, we layer on four more thoughtful components:
- Sustainable Textiles: We work with natural fibers—wool, cotton, viscose, flax, nettle—sourced from reputable mills like Rohi, Maharam, Biofluff and Yarn Collective. Each fabric is selected for its range, beauty, durability, and ecological footprint whilst keeping in mind the end of life processing.
- Cotton Yarn: Instead of synthetic threads, zippers, or buttons, we hand-finish our upholstery with cotton yarns. This not only improves the quality and feel but also ensures the textiles can be easily recycled at the end of their life.
- Reishi Label: Each chair is marked with a laser-engraved label made from Reishi, a premium mycelium leather—a nod to our core material and values.
8. Stainless Steel: A small piece of stainless steel rod is used to secure the upholstery. It’s easily removable and infinitely recyclable through existing global systems.
We are proud to demonstrate our dedication to designing products that have a positive impact. Although it would be easy to compare Banet to conventional chairs made from molded polyurethane, plastics, glue and other, often inseparable, synthetic materials in order to bolster our sustainable credentials: We won’t do that.
We know change takes time, and many in our industry are trying. We’re committed to supporting even our competitors to make the pivot via our sister company Growmolding —because real progress happens together.
What we will say, however, is this: You, as a specifier, interior designer, and end user, don’t have to wait to make future-proof choices, or make compromises when make the sustainable choice. You can already choose for a thoughtfully designed, low-impact chair that is beautiful, comfortable, durable—and renewable, today.
