Daily Sabah logo

Politics
Diplomacy Legislation War On Terror EU Affairs Elections News Analysis
TÜRKİYE
Istanbul Education Investigations Minorities Expat Corner Diaspora
World
Mid-East Europe Americas Asia Pacific Africa Syrian Crisis Islamophobia
Business
Automotive Economy Energy Finance Tourism Tech Defense Transportation News Analysis
Lifestyle
Health Environment Travel Food Fashion Science Religion History Feature Expat Corner
Arts
Cinema Music Events Portrait Reviews Performing Arts
Sports
Football Basketball Motorsports Tennis
Opinion
Columns Op-Ed Reader's Corner Editorial
PHOTO GALLERY
JOBS ABOUT US RSS PRIVACY CONTACT US
© Turkuvaz Haberleşme ve Yayıncılık 2023

Daily Sabah logo

عربي
  • Politics
    • Diplomacy
    • Legislation
    • War On Terror
    • EU Affairs
    • Elections
    • News Analysis
  • TÜRKİYE
    • Istanbul
    • Education
    • Investigations
    • Minorities
    • Expat Corner
    • Diaspora
  • World
    • Mid-East
    • Europe
    • Americas
    • Asia Pacific
    • Africa
    • Syrian Crisis
    • Islamophobia
  • Business
    • Automotive
    • Economy
    • Energy
    • Finance
    • Tourism
    • Tech
    • Defense
    • Transportation
    • News Analysis
  • Lifestyle
    • Health
    • Environment
    • Travel
    • Food
    • Fashion
    • Science
    • Religion
    • History
    • Feature
    • Expat Corner
  • Arts
    • Cinema
    • Music
    • Events
    • Portrait
    • Reviews
    • Performing Arts
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Motorsports
    • Tennis
  • Gallery
  • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Op-Ed
    • Reader's Corner
    • Editorial
  • TV

Furniture farm grows chairs, tables without carpentry

by

WIRKSWORTH Sep 25, 2019 - 12:46 am GMT+3
Tree growing in the shape of a lamp in a furniture farm in Derbyshire, Britain.
Tree growing in the shape of a lamp in a furniture farm in Derbyshire, Britain.
by Sep 25, 2019 12:46 am

On a two-acre field in England's Midlands, Gavin and Alice Munro are taking sustainability to the next level: they harvest trees which they train to grow into chairs. The couple have a furniture farm in Derbyshire where they are nurturing 250 chairs, 100 lamps and 50 tables. It is their answer to what they see as the inefficient and carbon-heavy process of cutting down mature trees to create furniture. "Instead of force-growing a tree for 50 years and then cutting it down and making it into smaller and smaller bits ... the idea is to grow the tree into the shape that you want directly. It's a kind of zen 3D printing," said Gavin.

Part of the inspiration for the idea came when Gavin was a young boy. He spotted an overgrown bonsai tree which looked like a chair. He was also born with a curved spine and as a child spent several years wearing a metal frame to reset his back. "The (medical) staff were just brilliant. The nurses, the doctors, they would kind of combine kindness and competence in a way that really, really impressed me. I wanted to combine care and competence and hopefully this is what we're doing here," he added. The 44-year-old began experimenting in 2006 when he tried to grow chairs on two small plots of land in the Peak District, also in central England. But in 2012, a year after they married, Gavin and Alice set up the company Full Grown and committed to the idea full-time. Progress has been bumpy. One of their first attempts at a crop ended in disaster when it was trampled by cows and eaten by rabbits.

They have also had to discover the most effective way to shape a tree without stunting its growth. The couple has learned to guide shoots already heading in the right direction, rather than forcing shoots the wrong way against their will. The labor and time involved in producing the organic pieces means they do not come cheap. Chairs sell for 10,000 pounds ($12,480), lamps for 900-2,300 pounds ($1,120-2,870) and tables for 2,500-12,500 pounds ($3,120-15,600). The average chair takes six to nine years to grow — and another year to dry out. The longest commission the company has is for 2030. It is a chair for a customer's retirement. The plight of rainforests has stormed up the global agenda in recent weeks, as fires raged in the Amazon and the Congo Basin.

"You know the damage that we do with forestry. We're only just starting to really understand that. This is kind of the opposite really, we use ... ancient techniques that we used in the stone age," Gavin said. Ancient Romans, Chinese and Japanese are known to have shaped trees to customize their forms. Gavin and Alice hope to be harvesting annually by 2022. Long-term, they want to buy a farm they can use as an experimental hub. They also want to spread their knowledge through consultancy. In the medium-term, Alice wants a new dining set. But it will take at least a decade to grow.

About the author
Research Associate at Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA) at Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University
  • shortlink copied
  • RELATED TOPICS
    fight-against-terrorism DEUTSCHE-BANK US-LIBYA-RELATIONS
    KEYWORDS
    life
    The Daily Sabah Newsletter
    Keep up to date with what’s happening in Turkey, it’s region and the world.
    You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
    No Image
    'Teddy Bear father' distributes plushies in Paris
    PHOTOGALLERY
    • POLITICS
    • Diplomacy
    • Legislation
    • War On Terror
    • EU Affairs
    • News Analysis
    • TÜRKİYE
    • Istanbul
    • Education
    • Investigations
    • Minorities
    • Diaspora
    • World
    • Mid-East
    • Europe
    • Americas
    • Asia Pacific
    • Africa
    • Syrian Crisis
    • İslamophobia
    • Business
    • Automotive
    • Economy
    • Energy
    • Finance
    • Tourism
    • Tech
    • Defense
    • Transportation
    • News Analysis
    • Lifestyle
    • Health
    • Environment
    • Travel
    • Food
    • Fashion
    • Science
    • Religion
    • History
    • Feature
    • Expat Corner
    • Arts
    • Cinema
    • Music
    • Events
    • Portrait
    • Performing Arts
    • Reviews
    • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Motorsports
    • Tennis
    • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Op-Ed
    • Reader's Corner
    • Editorial
    • Photo gallery
    • Jobs
    • privacy
    • about us
    • contact us
    • RSS
    © Turkuvaz Haberleşme ve Yayıncılık 2021