Trend: Nature Everywhere

As my blog's name suggests, trends are an important theme of my posts. And one of the main trends in our contemporary way of living: the wellness industry reaching an all-time high with a continued growth of consumer interest in health and wellness. That is so logical - because we all want to live in a healthy world and be well. So, we must design and create the conditions under which this becomes possiblе.

And as we learn more and more today, we gradually return to the basic natural resources - in furniture design we understand that it is better to use wood and cork in a sustainable way, rather than trying to replace them with artificial materials everywhere. Another area where we observe a growing interest in nature - in fact, a return to ancient traditions - is medicine and healthcare. According to many reports the trend is that natural medicine and the science of nutrition will stand at the forefront of the healthcare. 

Arnica montana

We are focused on the design and innovation of medical technologies, products, service systems and human experiences to solve a variety of healthcare challenges. On the other side, shoppers in particular are growing more critical of ingredients in traditional over-the-counter products. And they are seeking out more herbal and botanical additives, with an increase in usage from 13% to 25%, according to a recent research. Conventional pain relief methods, for example, frequently involve pharmaceutical drugs or medical interventions. While they offer quick relief, they are sometimes accompanied by extreme side effects or the risk of dependence. 

In addition to ingredients found in nature, customers are also looking for transparency in ingredient lists and clean ingredients, analgesic that offers clean, safe, and effective relief for a variety of aches and pains. When it comes to pain relief, people are also looking for alternatives to ingestible medications, for topical over-the-counter pain relief products like, for example, arnica cream.  The active ingredients in Doctor Hoy’s Arnica Boost Recovery Cream are listed as topical and external analgesics by the Food and Drug Administration. The formulas used are water-based and contain no parabens or toxins.

Another interesting trend - many people that are looking for safe ways to manage their pain, trying to take care of themselves, or rely on caregivers, at home, for as long as they can. Easily accessible and safe topical over-the-counter pain relief products enable consumers to lead active and pain-free lives. 

Everyone is talking about sustainable, equitable, healthy, and resilient design - of products and services directed to our everyday needs, including furniture and furnishings, cloths, food, healthcare... 

"DESIGN WITH NATURE" exhibition  at Salone del Mobile

I have posted a lot about cork in interior design - one of my favorite materials. Wood has been an all time favorite for furniture, only now we look for wood coming from sustainably managed forests. Bamboo's application areas are wide, including clothes and textiles.

Biophilic design is probably one of today's most likes trends in interior design - for the same reason: we want to live with nature everywhere around us. А beautiful example is this bathroom design:

Marca Corona

Considering even only these few mentioned areas of our lives, we should say that actually, Nature is not a trend at all, but a necessity and a true need of the human being.

Have a look at another trend from 2023 that will continue in 2024.

My selection from Autumn 2022 design events

I think that these new designs are interesting for sharing:

 The trend for new chair designs with 3 legs continues:

Fenabel,Valencia

 London Design Festival 2022 - Bill Amberg. Photography: David Cleveland

Tom Dixon's ‘Twenty’ presents the studio’s recent and current areas of experimentation:

The ‘Bird’ chaise in eel grass, the ‘Flamecut’ chair and mycelium perfume towers

Tom Dixon Studio - 

carbon positive CORK material

Design London -  Zenso High chair 

Very cozy dining room design from Stockholm Design Week, source: yatzer.com :

‘Infinity in Motion’ Atelier Alain Ellouz at Maison & Objet 

Boudins Stool. Courtesy of Sabourin Costes

Just a few - did you like them?

One Growing Trend in Interior Design

 I like cork - as my readers have already noticed :) And I am pleased to find that the use of cork in furniture and interior design as a whole is a growing trend! Today I saw the latest furniture designs by Tom Dixon - enjoy some of them here below:

 "In terms of a dream material, you couldn't really get a lot better." - Tom Dixon

The collection is even called The Cork Family :)

I have even used cork in one of my interior design projects and I know from my clients that many years after it was applied they are still pleased with the results!

Cork Furniture - "a new creation from the fires was born"

 I have always liked cork as a material in interior design. I even have a project with cork tiles in the kitchen and livingroom of a client. But this story from Yellow Trace by By Erin Christie  inspired me further. All pieces from french designer Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance’s furniture collection made of discarded burnt cork have beautiful sculptural forms:

They are from the second installment for Made in Situ

The designed pieces are the fruits of my adventures, explorations of geological and biological textures, patterns, materials and their related techniques. Above all, my stimulation comes from human knowledge and sensitivity, linking to and embedded in each specific place.” Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance

Is upcycling or recycling always worth our time?

"An exhibition that took place this month as part of the Designers’ Open festival in German city Leipzig showcased the possibilities of upcycling, which is recycling’s even more sustainable little sister – the act of converting old clothing, materials and furniture into new things, without the need to destroy it and completely restructure it in the process, as recycling requires." (designweek.co.uk)

source: designweek.co.uk

Well, some of the products may be great, but do we consider the cost of our labour when doing this upcycling? Can you imagine how much time is required to collect and then connect those cork pieces into just one piece of furniture? The table is great, but the armchair to the right is hardly comfortable for use.
On the other hand, I like very much the elegant line of those honeycomb cardboard furniture pieces by German designer Björn Bernt that for sure have been created for less time, but I am not sure how safe it is to use the chairs:

designer Björn Bernt

I have a lot of posts about the way we recycle and re-use materials and products, and you can find many beautiful examples there, but we must ask ourselves: are the results of recycling and upcycling always worth our time? Will they last enough in order to invest our time in creating something not so beautiful or useful? Isn’t it better to change this “fast fashion” trend into a better and more thoughtful design trend?
What do you think?

Cork Furniture

Cork is one of my favourite materials for my interior design projects. I have used it as a floor material and I have seen a lot of other applications, but whole furniture made entirely of cork is rare. Now we can see that Campana brothers have created an interesting collection of cork furniture, "Sobreiro", for furniture manufacturer Época and Amorim, the largest producer of cork in Portugal:

Cork armchair, Photo: Nuno Sousa Dias © Estudio

Photo: Nuno Sousa Dias © Estudio

I would like to be able to touch them - cork has such a plesant surface. How do you like them?

Maison et Objet September - inspiration

My choice of beautiful and interesting new designs:

Mushkhane 

B&B - EDA-MAME, design Piero Lissoni 

DAM - cork stools

SUGO CORK RUGS - source: Archiproducts 

MOJOW

Young Interior Design

Fresh design suggestions for young people's rooms:

Sergey Makhno Architectural Workshop 

Covis Table
Hoop Speaker by LEXON
C'Mere Hand Hook
New Silver Window Cling Solar Charger 1800mAh

Ribbon Headboard Peel and Stick Giant Wall Decals
Bianca Green Stardust Covering New York Duvet Cover

The Total Body Support Pillow.
Milk Bottle Single Lamp by Droog MENU New Norm Water Carafe with Cork Lid
Gold Medal Fashion Medium Twill Bean Bag Chair Denim Blue
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