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MIGHTY MYCELIUM
At House of Hackney, we’re all about making changes to protect the natural world and we are always seeking
out new ways to evolve our business that work more in harmony with Mother Nature.
A big part of that is questioning the materials we use; are they the best available and can we do better?
That’s why this Autumn, we are launching our first mycelium products. Mycelium is a groundbreaking 100%
biodegradable material made from fungi fibres. With this project we hope to evolve new ways of thinking and making products.
With natural, regenerative materials like mycelium, perhaps we can start to grow a better future.This is just the beginning.
MIGHTY
MYCELIUM
At House of Hackney, we’re all about making changes to protect the natural world and we are always seeking out new ways to evolve our business that work more in harmony with Mother Nature. A big part of that is questioning the materials we use; are they the best available and can we do better?
That’s why this Autumn, we are launching our first mycelium products. Mycelium is a groundbreaking 100% biodegradable material made from fungi fibres. With this project we hope to evolve new ways of thinking and making products.
With natural, regenerative materials like mycelium, perhaps we can start to grow a better future.This is just the beginning.
WHAT IS MYCELIUM?
We’ve always been fond of fungi at House of Hackney, and we believe in their potential to solve a lot of the world’s problems. They can be used to aid wellness and mental health, as building materials, even to help bees fight infection after oil spills. Mycelium is a network of tiny fungal threads called hyphae. These root-like fibres can grow from a single spore, and when dried make a strong material that can be grown into specific forms, reducing processing requirements, the reliance on fossil fuels to power the processing and the waste.
Complete materials are grown with these mushroom fibres to create products which, at the end of their life, can biodegrade to become nutrition for the soil. How’s that for a magic mushroom?
WHAT IS
MYCELIUM?
We’ve always been fond of fungi at House of Hackney, and we believe in their potential to solve a lot of the world’s problems. They can be used to aid wellness and mental health, as building materials, even to help bees fight infection after oil spills. Mycelium is a network of tiny fungal threads called hyphae. These root-like fibres can grow from a single spore, and when dried make a strong material that can be grown into specific forms, reducing processing requirements, the reliance on fossil fuels to power the processing and the waste.
Complete materials are grown with these mushroom fibres to create products which, at the end of their life, can biodegrade to become nutrition for the soil. How’s that for a magic mushroom?
HOW IS IT MADE?
We worked with the fun-guys at Magical Mushroom Company to create our mycelium products. Sterile wood chips - recycled from waste products - and hemp are mixed with the mycelium mushroom spores to create a substrate which is applied to the wooden moulds we created with the heritage craftspeople at Wood Carving London. After a few days, the mycelium starts to grow around the moulds binding them together and forming a solid shape. Once it has reached the desired form, it is baked to stop the spores from growing.
And we are left with a finished product, created with completely natural materials; a celebration of fantastic fungi not only in its design, but in the very way it is made.
HOW IS
IT MADE?
We worked with the fun-guys at Magical Mushroom Company to create our mycelium products. Sterile wood chips - recycled from waste products - and hemp are mixed with the mycelium mushroom spores to create a substrate which is applied to the wooden moulds we created with the heritage craftspeople at Wood Carving London. After a few days, the mycelium starts to grow around the moulds binding them together and forming a solid shape. Once it has reached the desired form, it is baked to stop the spores from growing.
And we are left with a finished product, created with completely natural materials; a celebration of fantastic fungi not only in its design, but in the very way it is made.
MYCELIUM ROSE
In ancient Rome, a rose was the symbol of secrecy; one would be suspended above meeting tables to encourage the freedom to speak plainly without repercussion, hence Sub Rosa, ‘under the rose’.
Perhaps most famously, the court of Tudor King Henry VIII was strewn with carved iterations of the Sub Rosa to promote free speech and confidentiality. This evolved over centuries into the standard architectural ceiling rose, which forms the centrepiece of many a room, under which people still tell their stories and secrets.
For this project, House of Hackney co-founder Javvy M Royle began by studying the origins of the ceiling rose and the handcrafting techniques of woodcarvers. The design is inspired by the iconic liberty cap mushroom, revered for thousands of years for its spiritual properties; and also by the swirling acanthus leaf, a nod to our design hero William Morris.
MYCELIUM ROSE
In ancient Rome, a rose was the symbol of secrecy; one would be suspended above meeting tables to encourage the freedom to speak plainly without repercussion, hence Sub Rosa, ‘under the rose’.
Perhaps most famously, the court of Tudor King Henry VIII was strewn with carved iterations of the Sub Rosa to promote free speech and confidentiality. This evolved over centuries into the standard architectural ceiling rose, which forms the centrepiece of many a room, under which people still tell their stories and secrets.
For this project, House of Hackney co-founder Javvy M Royle began by studying the origins of the ceiling rose and the handcrafting techniques of woodcarvers. The design is inspired by the iconic liberty cap mushroom, revered for thousands of years for its spiritual properties; and also by the swirling acanthus leaf, a nod to our design hero William Morris.
CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS
This year, we’re celebrating Christmas with a conscience. We’re saying no to plastic and in a festive first, we have grown our own tree decorations from magical mycelium. Working with mushroom farming sisters, Caley Bros, we bring you three baubles in the fungi form of a star, an orb and of course, our humble toadstool.
CHRISTMAS
DECORATIONS
This year, we’re celebrating Christmas with a conscience. We’re saying no to plastic and in a festive first, we have grown our own tree decorations from magical mycelium. Working with mushroom farming sisters, Caley Bros, we bring you three baubles in the fungi form of a star, an orb and of course, our humble toadstool.
CHRISTMAS WITH
A CONSCIENCE
And this year, we’re celebrating Christmas with a conscience. We’re saying no to plastic and our decorations are made from eco-friendly wool, handcrafted ceramics and a festive first, mycelium; a groundbreaking, truly sustainable material grown from the silk-like fibres of fungi; a real magical mushroom. Our cushions, bedding and furniture are plumped with responsibly sourced, fully traceable British wool and, as always, with every single sale, we purchase and protect 35sqm of endangered woodland thanks to our partnership with the world Land Trust.
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