Makers Manual is a collaborative project between exciting makers and STORE STORE. These downloadable manuals are a practical guide to making at home for beginners and experts.

This manual offers direction on the most effective method to make bowls and other domestic objects from wood chippings and mushroom mycelium. Mycelium is the “root” of mushrooms and it behaves like a natural glue binding wood chippings together. Subsequently, this mixture can be moulded into 3D shapes and later cured, the whole process taking about four weeks. These grown materials are naturally insulating, water repellent, sound-absorbing and completely compostable! Make sure to break them down into small pieces and use them as an agricultural fertiliser at the end of their life span. Experiment with making your own mycelium products with 3D printed, vacuum formed, paper or found moulds.

This manual is created by Valentina Dipietro, who is a Biodesigner, Researcher and graduate of the Royal College of Art. Adopting an experimental approach, Valentina works at the intersection of biology and design to explore innovative and disruptive sustainable designs for products, interiors and architecture. She is the founder of Mykor, a biotechnology and design company which has at its core digital design and bio-fabrication inspired by nature and she is also a visiting lecturer for various universities worldwide.