Elena Low and her husband Kae Woei Lim run together a XYZ Workshop, a creative online hub for makers who enjoy tinkering with desktop manufacturing. They published all kinds of cool 3D printing projects, but this chess board where pieces are small 3D printed planters is just the cutest.
The Micro Planter Chess Set, as they appropriately named it, consists of various shapes that represent each chess piece. Each piece can be filled with soil where you can plant whichever plant variety that better represents the piece to you.
The design of the chess set itself was inspired by a Bauhaus chess set, and the geometric forms make a nice contrast with the natural elements they contain. Obviously this is not your traditional chess board, and maybe not the most convenient one for hard-core players. It is probably a bit hard to maintain, although one could simply just put cactus in each piece.
The nicest part about the project is maybe its openness. You can download the templates for the pieces and print it yourself on your own 3D printer.
About the Author
Mirko Humbert
Mirko Humbert is the editor-in-chief and main author of Designer Daily and Typography Daily. He is also a graphic designer and the founder of WP Expert.