This Mumbai Couple Is Crafting Furniture From Mushrooms

At a time when most furniture is made from fiberboard, laminates, and plastics that end up in landfills, Bhakti Loonawat and Suyash Sawant, founders of Anomalia, are growing furniture from mycelium that is totally biodegradable. They incorporate agricultural waste with the mycelium to create stools, tables, shelves, or partitions. “Farmers often burn agricultural residues, worsening air pollution. Instead, we repurpose that waste into something valuable. It’s a win-win.” Other uses now include vegan alternatives to leather in fashion, seating, and upholstery. They even dream of growing entire houses from fungi. “They hold a simple yet radical belief: materials should live their purpose and then return to the soil. As they put it, sustainability begins at home — in what we choose to use and what we choose to grow.”