furniture series by mari koppanen imitates polypore mushrooms at different stages of growth

FOMES furniture collection by Mari Koppanen

Finnish designer Mari Koppanen unveils FOMES, a furniture collection that imitates the characteristics of a polypore mushroom. The series consists of two pieces of seating furniture composed of a combination of wood, wool and mushrooms. The legs of the pieces are covered with soft, suede-like amadou, a material that comes from a polypous fungus called Fomes fomentarius. The different forms resemble the fungus at different stages of growth.

all images by Jere Viinikainen, unless stated otherwise

working with mushroom-derived Amadou

The FOMES collection highlights the almost lost technique of mushroom processing from Eastern Transylvania and proposes new ways to use this ancient material in contemporary design pieces. For this project, Mari Koppanen (see more here) made generous use of the suede-like Amadou material, a folk craft material in eastern Transylvania used by locals to make small items such as hats and bags. Amadou is an absorbent, anti-inflammatory, and renewable material that is also completely natural, vegan, and free of animal cruelty. Unlike alternative lab-grown mushroom materials, it contains no harmful or plastic-based binders or coatings but is simply a creation of nature.

The material is processed manually by peeling and cutting the mushroom. The Amadou layer is located inside the fruiting body. It is carefully separated from the cuticle and spore tubes, stretched with small circular movements, and dried. The preparation looks simple but requires a lot of practice and knowledge. Amadou know-how has almost been lost, as the number of families practicing this craft has decreased significantly in recent decades.

FOMES Consists of two seats with generous shapes that imitate the features of a many-leaved mushroom. The legs are upholstered in soft suede-like Amadou, made by Romanian craftsmen, while the seats are covered in a woven wool blend. By raising awareness of amadou, Koppanen hopes to help keep the know-how of this tradition alive. She has designed a series of objects using the material as a substitute for animal leather.

‘Amadou is a material of its own. Not only because of its performance qualities but because of its cultural and historical value. Fungal materials are coming more and more into the industry but in my eyes amadou is the mother of them all. It has been used for thousands of years for different medical and spiritual purposes. Even Ötzi, the Iceman, carried Amadou with him’, says Koppanen.