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Wolfgang Laib’s Pollen from Hazelnut — a fascinating installation made out of the tiny particles that he’s been collecting from the natural environment around his home and studio in a small village in Southern Germany since the mid-90s — opens today in MoMA’s Donald B. and Catherine C. Marron Atrium. Why pollen? Well, Laib has stated that “pollen is the potential beginning of the life of the plant. It is as simple, as beautiful, and as complex as this. And of course it has so many meanings. I think everybody who lives knows that pollen is important.”

Because we couldn’t be more intrigued by the idea of making things out of plants and pollen, we thought we’d take a look to see if any everyday objects might exist in this vein. From furniture made out of freeze-dried flowers to a stool embedded with mushroom spores click through to check out some surprisingly awesome designs made out of really unusual natural materials.

Harvest Table made out of freeze-dried flowers by Asif Khan

Image credit: Abitare