British designer Gavin Munro growing trees into furniture

Wirksworth

DEEP in the English countryside, there's a bizarre sight: rows of trees being grown into upside-down chairs, slowly taking shape over years of careful nurturing.

Around 150 armchairs, 100 lampshades and other items including mirror frames are being grown out of the ground in a highly unusual adventure in furniture design. The brainchild of Gavin Munro, his Full Grown company has produced some early prototypes, with each item one solid, jointless piece of wood. "It's a bit like a vineyard. You've got a few years to get everything up and growing," he told AFP.