The crafts of the future: Stop sculpting your objects, grow them (Mycelium)

Imagine a world where, to create a chair, a lamp, or an acoustic panel, you don't need to cut down a tree, extract metal, or mold plastic.

Imagine that all you have to do is plant a seed... and wait.

This isn't science fiction. It's Bio-Design, and more specifically, Mycelium technology. It's a quiet revolution that's transforming the world of craftsmanship and sustainable design, and it might just find its promised land right here in Saint-Jean-Port-Joli.

The Mushroom as an architect

Mycelium is the underground part of fungi. It's a complex network of microscopic white roots that acts like an ultra-powerful natural glue.

The principle is simple, yet ingenious:

Agricultural or forestry waste (straw, wood chips, sawdust) is taken.

Mycelium spores are inoculated into the waste.

The mixture is placed in a mold.

In a few days, the mycelium "eats" the material and fills the mold, creating a solid, lightweight, fire-resistant, and 100% compostable object.

Once the desired shape is achieved, the object is heated to stop the growth. The result? A material with the strength of particleboard but the velvety texture of suede, with a negative carbon footprint.

A golden opportunity for Saint-Jean-Port-Joli

Why are we discussing this on the Socle blog? Because our region is sitting on a goldmine for bio-design.

Saint-Jean-Port-Joli is the capital of sculpture and woodworking. Our workshops produce tons of sawdust and wood shavings every year. Often, it's waste.

With bio-design, this sawdust becomes a valuable resource. It's the perfect marriage between the heritage of our wood sculptors and biotechnological innovation. The artisan of tomorrow could repurpose the scraps of yesterday's artisan to cultivate their own creations.

Living art

For the artist, it's a paradigm shift. We no longer force the material; we collaborate with it. We become a bit like gardeners, a bit like alchemists.

Designers are already creating lampshades with organic shapes impossible to achieve otherwise. Others are growing luxury packaging that can be tossed in the garden instead of thrown in the trash.

It's a new aesthetic: raw, imperfect, alive. It's exactly what art and design enthusiasts will be looking for in 2026.

Join the revolution

At Le Socle, we believe that craftsmanship must evolve. Innovation isn't just about digital technology or AI. It's also about biology.

We encourage our creators to explore these new avenues. At L'atelier A, we dream of the day when a lamp will have been "grown" from the shavings of a sculpture by the Bourgault brothers. The circle would be complete.

The future is organic. Are you ready to cultivate it?