The Journey

This project started as my 2020 Industrial Design Honours Project whilst studying at the University of New South Wales.

The initial intention for this project wasn't to design a pot to grow mushrooms —it was to explore the applications of mycelium as a material within design.

In researching, I found many had negative associations towards fungi - often referred to as "gross, poisonous and infectious". These stories stem from generations of fear and a lack of knowledge about fungi. This presented a problem—

If I was to design a product using mycelium as the material, would it even be adopted by society?

Mycelia House is as much about changing the societal perceptions of fungi as it is about creating a functional, beautiful & simple product.

Fungi is beautiful. When we display them within our homes we watch them grow, we connect & we can attune ourselves to a more natural rhythm of life - one that is more sustainable.

—Caity Duffus, Designer

  • Paul Stamets is the Steve Jobs of Mycology, and I was deeply inspired by his TED Talk ‘How mushrooms can save the world’ where he goes into detail of all the potential uses for fungi and the essential role they play in our ecosystem. We have a lot to learn about the diversity of the fungi kingdom, only knowing 3% of fungi species. They are the hearts of our forests, connecting trees in a symbiotic relationship and holding all soils together. It is the largest living organism on our planet. We have a lot to learn from fungi.

    Fungi offers many potential applications for sustainable futures - as a material (furniture, packaging, clothing), food source (to nourish), medicinal (eg reishi for anxiety & lions mane to strengthen neural pathways), acknowledging ancient cultures & their wisdom, and an ability to break down waste (in landfills and toxins in our waterways).

Mycelia House 01

Care for, grow and display oyster mushrooms in your home.

As seen on design boom, dezeen, UNSW Luminocity Exhibition, Green Magazine issue 13, HIŠE magazine, and the 2020 IDES X Re-connect Exhibition.

UNSW Luminocity Exhibition, Industrial Design