# Flexible Cellular Seating Lilian Van Daal's 3D-Printed Chair is Inspired by Plant Cells By Michael Hines | Published 2014-08-17 | Art & Design Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/lilian-van-daal References: [dezeen](http://www.dezeen.com/2014/08/05/biomimicry-3d-printed-soft-seat-chair-by-lilian-van-daal/) & [lilianvandaal](http://lilianvandaal.com/) Dutch designer Lilian van Daal has created a prototype chair that is inspired by plant cells.The idea behind the chair is to make furniture production as eco-friendly as possible by [3D printing a chair](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/verse-3d-printed-chair) using only a [single sheet of material](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/fold-chair). Most chairs are made using multiple types of material, including foam and wood. Additionally, since multiple types of materials are used, manufacturing usually takes place in multiple locations. All of this equals a lot of carbon emissions and wasted material just to make a single chair. Van Daal's design was inspired by plant cells, which have a three-dimensional shape. In addition to their unique shape, the cells also provide the support a plant needs to stay upright. The chair was made using polyamide, but the designer is looking into using a different type of material that is [more biologically sustainable](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-limbo-chair). The 3D printer looks as though it's here to stay, and it likely won't be long before designs like Lilian van Daal's become the norm. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 6.2/10 - Popularity: 85% | Activity: 92% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 30% men, 70% women - Primary generations: Millennial - Top markets: Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Art & Design](https://www.trendhunter.com/artdesign) > [Furniture](https://www.trendhunter.com/furniture) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Eco-friendly Furniture:** The trend towards eco-friendly furniture production opens up disruptive innovation opportunities in materials and manufacturing processes. - **Single Material Design:** Designing furniture using a single sheet of material presents disruptive innovation opportunities for reducing waste and simplifying production. - **Biologically Sustainable Materials:** The use of biologically sustainable materials in furniture design offers disruptive innovation opportunities for creating environmentally friendly products. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Furniture Manufacturing:** The furniture manufacturing industry can explore disruptive innovation opportunities by adopting eco-friendly production methods and materials. - **3D Printing:** The 3D printing industry can leverage the trend towards single material furniture design to develop innovative printing techniques and materials. - **Sustainable Design:** The sustainable design industry can benefit from the demand for biologically sustainable materials in furniture production and create innovative solutions. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Plant-Based Dynamic Furniture](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/chiachair.md) - [3D-Printed Seaweed Chairs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/kelp-chair.md) - [Sustainable 3D-Printed Chairs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/wood-loop-lounge-chair.md) - [Ribboned Recycled Seating](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ruffini.md) - [Stacking Hemp-Made Chairs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/peel-chair.md) - [3D-Printed Upcycled Net Chairs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-kelp-chair.md) - [3D-Printed Lounge Chairs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/konvergence-chair.md) - [3D-Printed Recycled Misprint Chairs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-new-raw-studio.md) - [Living Plant DIY Chairs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/green-hideaway.md)