Natural Archives

Aerial view of Feldballe School in Denmark

Straw, eelgrass and wood feature in this bio-based extension that Danish architecture studio Henning Larsen has added to Feldballe School in Denmark.

The angular timber-clad extension, which contains science classrooms, is intended to demonstrate the potential of natural materials in architecture.

It was designed by Henning Larsen with the aim of having the carbon sequestered in the construction materials help to offset the building’s lifetime emissions.

“At the core of this project is investment in education,” lead architect Magnus Reffs Kramhøft told Dezeen.

“We wanted to show the school pupils that there is a better way to build, that it’s possible to design a non-toxic building.”

The locally sourced biomaterials used in the project were chosen for their ability to sequester, or store, carbon from the atmosphere.

Aerial view of Feldballe School extension by Henning Larsen Architects — It has an angular form

“These materials are viable alternatives to concrete, brick and steel, and crucially, materials that sequester rather than emit carbon dioxide, are totally free of toxic chemicals, fire-safe, and offer both efficient insulation and a great indoor climate,” said the studio.

Among them is a wall panel system made of compressed straw in wooden cassettes, along with a timber roof.

Timber-clad school building — The building makes use of bio-based materials

Inside, untreated plywood is used for built-in furniture and is also left exposed on the walls.

The classrooms, which sit under pitched roofs, feature timber beams and straw-panel ceilings that are left visible throughout too, helping to help create a warm atmosphere.

Wood-lined facade of Henning Larsen-designed building — Timber lines its exterior

Solar panels on the roof of the building generate electricity to help power it, while its interiors are naturally ventilated.

This natural ventilation system is aided by eelgrass, a type of fast-growing seaweed, which is used in the form of filters that pull in air through the facade.

Wood-lined building with solar panels on the roof — Solar panels provide electricity for the building

“The natural materials lend the extension a warm, welcoming expression, and because there is no need for large ventilation ducts or suspended ceilings, the rooms are spacious and high-ceilinged,” said Henning Larsen.

“The permeable characteristics of straw allow humidity to escape, and the interior walls consist of clay plaster, supporting its diffusion qualities.”

According to Henning Larsen, the building’s carbon footprint will equate to six kilograms of carbon dioxide per square metre every year, over a lifespan of 50 years.

This surpasses Danish standards, which currently require all construction projects to keep below 12 kilograms of carbon dioxide per square metre every year.

Interior of Feldballe School extension by Henning Larsen Architects — It contains science classrooms inside

“These targets refer to a project’s entire footprint from operational emissions to those associated with the manufacturing of materials and their installation,” said the studio.

“For reference, the European average amounts to between 500 to 1,000 kilograms of carbon dioxide per square metre.”

Classroom interior with wooden walls — Plywood is used on the walls and for furniture

Henning Larsen also said that the extension has the potential to be easily disassembled and reused or recycled in the future.

“The true measure of the project’s impact lies in what it will offer to the many children of Feldballe School as well as the local community through the years,” concluded Kramhøft. “So far, the choice of materials has proven conducive to a healthy and pleasant learning environment for students and teachers.”

Based in Copenhagen, Henning Larsen is an architecture studio founded by the Danish architect Henning Larsen in 1959. It was awarded the European Prize for Architecture in 2019.

The studio also recently completed a mass-timber centre for car manufacturer Volvo and a timber church with trapezoidal roofs in Copenhagen.

Bio-based extension by Henning Larsen Architects — Straw panels cover the ceilings

The studio hopes that its use of bio-based materials will encourage their uptake in the industry and lead to more efforts to reduce carbon emissions in construction.

“We know that we cannot wait for policymakers to push the green agenda, we must face the weight of our design decisions headfirst, altering our practices, bettering ourselves, and pushing our industry,” concluded the studio’s director of innovation Jakob Strømann-Andersen.

The photography is by Rasmus Hjortshøj.

Reference

Interior Design

Natural Connections exhibition aims to “help people rediscover nature”

By Zarkon Group,20/02/2023

Designers Inma Bermúdez, Moritz Krefter, Jorge Penadés and Alvaro Catalán de Ocón have created three playful wooden furniture pieces on show at Madrid Design Festival.

Devised by the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC), Natural Connections was on show in the entrance hall of the cultural building Matadero Madrid.

Each of the three furniture pieces was designed to encourage interaction with wood – with one acting as a bench, the other a climbing frame and the third a hanging light installation.

The designs were created in response to a brief provided by AHEC, which sought pieces made by Spanish designers out of maple, cherry, and red oak hardwoods sourced from American forests in an effort to encourage the use of the material.

The inside of a light installation at Natural Connections — Catalán de Ocón designed Nube, a hanging light installation

“We challenged the design studios to present these chambers in a public space – in a public context – so that visitors get to experience a connection,” AHEC European director David Venables told Dezeen.

“The design teams worked with maple, cherry, and red oak to create playful, original, and highly innovative installations that we hope will provide engagement, excitement and a connection for visitors to these wonderful natural materials,” said Venables.

The Lost Herd furniture pieces — Inma Bermúdez and Moritz Krefter created several “bovine-shaped” seats

Designer Catalán de Ocón created a six-metre-long hanging light called Nube – which translates to cloud in English – made of 4,000 interconnected spherical and cylindrical individual pieces of wood.

Nube is lit by several LED lights that were placed in the middle of the hollow structure. A brass cable runs from the bass into the mesh structure, branching into positive and negative electric currents.

Positive poles run through the cherry wood while negative poles run through the maple pieces, which form a complete circuit when they touch and illuminate the bulbs.

The Lost Herd by Inma Bermúdez and Moritz Krefter — Visitors can perch on the benches and touch the woods

Its design was informed by Catalán de Ocón’s fascination with the manufacturing process for small utilitarian wooden objects such as pegs, matches and blinds.

“I was inspired by the little match or the pencil, or the wooden pin for hanging the clothes – those kinds of manufacturing techniques, where you get an object which is repeated over and over and over again,” Catalán de Ocón told Dezeen.

Wrap installation at Madrid Design Festival — Jorge Penadés produced a bleacher-style structure

Meanwhile, La Manada Perdida, or The Lost Herd, by Inma Bermúdez and Moritz Krefter was influenced by the Matadero’s former function as a slaughterhouse and cattle market.

The Spanish design duo produced a series of red oak, maple and cherry benches for Natural Connections that reference equine and bovine animals such as horses and cows. The pieces were given minimal finishing to mimic the texture of the tree they came from.

“They appear as benches or seats, but their design goes beyond furniture to incorporate aspects of imagination and play to help people encounter and rediscover nature,” said AHEC.

Madrid-based designer Penadés responded to the natural connections theme by producing a tiered seating piece called Wrap that is connected by ball joints.

The designer, who is known for his interior projects with Spanish footwear brand Camper, glued and rolled 0.7-millimetres-thick pieces of cherry veneer into tubes to create tubular hollow components, which form a bleacher-style seat when joined together.

Natural Connections furniture by Jorge Penadés — Wrap is made from thin rolls of cherry veneer

Natural Connections is one of several exhibitions at Madrid Design Festival, a month-long event that sees a design programme take over the Spanish city. After the exhibition ends, the furniture will remain in the cultural centre for a year.

Also at this year’s edition is Slow Spain, an exhibition by university students that aims to explore American hardwoods and mindful furniture consumption.

Last year saw lighting designer Antoni Arola and Spanish light manufacturer Simon use a smoke machine, lasers and a small tree to create Fiat Lux 3 Architectures of Light.

Natural Connections is on show at Matadero Madrid as part of Madrid Design Festival 2023, which takes place from 14 February to 12 March. See Dezeen Events Guide for information about the many other exhibitions, installations and talks taking place throughout the month.

The photography is courtesy of AHEC.

Project credits:

Designers: Inma Bermúdez and Moritz Krefter, Alvaro Catalán de Ocón, Jorge Penadés
Partners: American Hardwood Export Council, Matadero Madrid, Madrid Design Festival, Tamalsa

Reference

Sustainable News

Natural food colourants made from fungi

By Zarkon Group,12/02/2023

Spotted: Food colourings have had a bad press in recent years. For example, following reports that artificial dyes in foods cause neurobehavioural issues in children, a petition was delivered to the United States’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking removal of the food colourant Red 3 from the country’s list of approved additives. And another issue is the fact that many artificial food colourants are petroleum-based, making their production environmentally unsustainable.

Step forward the power of fungi. Biotechnology company Michroma is engineering fungi and utilising precision fermentation to create a new library of natural colourants and other ingredients crucial to the food and drug industries. The company’s first product is Red +, a temperature-resistant bright red shade that is pH stable across the entirety of the food ingredient spectrum. Made by bioengineering fungi that are then produced in batches via precision fermentation, the colourant is cost-effective to produce, unlike most other natural food colours that require significant agricultural resources to grow.

Video source Michroma

The company focused its launch on the warm colours of the spectrum because they are used in 90 per cent of food market products. Michroma’s ingredients are vegan, non-GMO, halal, and kosher, making them ideal for a diversity of uses. The combination of general stability and temperature resistance makes the colours ideal for use in baked goods, confectionary, dairy products, extruded foods, and more.

The company recently raised $6.4 million (around €5 million) of seed funding that will be used for making other colours, scaling up general manufacturing, and beginning development of additional products to be used as direct replacements for petroleum-based items such as perfumes and flavours.

Springwise has spotted fungi being used in other ways and the versatility of mycelium is reflected in the broad range of products that use it, including luxury hats and bioleathers.

Written By: Keely Khoury

Reference

Aerial view of Chaohu Natural and Cultural Centre by Change Architects

Architecture

Undulating concrete conceals Chaohu Natural and Cultural Centre in China

By Zarkon Group,09/02/2023

A flowing landscape of grass-topped, terracotta-coloured concrete animates the Chaohu Natural and Cultural Centre designed by Chinese studio Change Architects to reference mountains in Anhui province.

Commissioned by OCT Group, the centre provides a community hub and restaurant for the Bantung Hot Spring Town resort, which forms part of a new economic development zone at the foot of a mountain to the north of the city of Chaohu, China.

Its design is informed by both mountains and wormholes, with a series of performance and restaurant spaces punctured by large openings that allow visitors to see the surrounding landscape in new ways.

“The logic of the architectural concept derived from the idea of natural elements,” explained Change Architects.

View of restaurant at the Chaohu Natural and Cultural Centre by Change Architects — It is concealed by a flowing landscape of terracotta-coloured concrete

Winding across the site between a small lake and a path, the concrete structure incorporates walkways and viewing points and rises up at its western end to conceal a large restaurant beneath a grass-topped mound.

This artificial landscape was constructed using a steel frame, which was then covered with concrete poured in situ, and finished with a green roof and anti-slip surface finishes.

Holes and curved openings that puncture the roof create skylights and open courtyards below, where sunken areas of amphitheatre-like seating provide informal areas for outdoor performances.

The sinuous walkways provide multiple routes to the restaurant entrance, where visitors can either descend into a lounge space or move upwards towards the dining area.

Red-concrete walkways in Chinese cultural centre — Its form incorporates sinuous walkways

Once inside the restaurant, a fully-glazed wall looks out over an adjacent lake to the south. At night, the building is reflected in the water, creating a “moment where mountains, water and buildings meet”.

The dining area is housed in a rectangular form that projects from the northern side of the large mound, with a mirrored exterior designed to blend in with the surroundings and a balcony to provide views of the nearby mountains.

Courtyard surrounding by red-concrete walls — Holes in its surface form skylights to spaces below

The interiors of the Chaohu Natural and Cultural Centre’s restaurant are defined by smooth, white-painted concrete surfaces and extensive planting. Designed by the German-based studio Ippolito Fleitz Group, they are intended to echo the flowing form of the exterior.

Elsewhere in China, a Team BLDG created a cluster of grass-topped, artificial mounds to conceal facilities for a riverfront park in Pazhou.

The photography is by Qingshan Wu.

Reference

Brown bedroom in house in Mexico City by Chloe Mason Gray

Interior Design

Ten earthy bedrooms that use natural colours and textures

By Zarkon Group,21/01/2023

In our latest lookbook, we highlight 10 bedroom interiors that introduce earthy colour palettes and natural materials to evoke a sense of calm and tranquility.

Warm tones of earthen brown and light neutrals were used alongside colourful pops of terracotta and leafy greens on soft furnishings, headboards and decorations to create a peaceful atmosphere in these bedrooms.

Stone surfaces, timber panelling, linen fabric, accents of clay and limewash finishes add subtle textures to the interior spaces.

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring jewel-toned hotel interiors, kitchens with marble surfaces and biophilic homes.

Colonia Condesa House, Mexico, by Chloé Mason Gray

For the renovation of this mid-20th century house in Mexico City, local interiors studio Chloé Mason Gray embraced the lack of natural light coming into the space by introducing dark, earthy colours and textures.

The walls of the primary bedroom were coated in brown plaster, and the space was finished with a brown leather headboard and linen furnishings in deep shades of forest green.

Find out more about Colonia Condesa House ›

Interior of Casa Maiora by Studio Andrew Trotter in Puglia — Photo by Salva López

Casa Maiora, Italy, by Studio Andrew Trotter

Designed to mimic the surrounding landscape, Italian architecture practice Studio Andrew Trotter created this villa in Puglia with sandstone and limestone walls coated in a pink lime wash.

Stone floors complement the warm-toned walls while in the bedrooms, locally-sourced wooden antique furniture and large woven rugs add hints of deeper earthen shades.

Find out more about Casa Maiora ›

Bedroom interior of Dumbo Loft by Crystal Sinclair Designs — Photo by Seth Caplan

Dumbo Loft, USA, by Crystal Sinclair Designs

New York interiors studio Crystal Sinclair Designs punctuated the pale white backdrop of this bedroom in a Brooklyn loft apartment with caramel shades of brown and natural textures.

A yellow-brown velvet chair, rustic tiles that wrap around the lower half of structural columns, and a wooden batten wall help to make the space cosier and more inviting.

Find out more about Dumbo Loft ›

De Beauvoir Townhouse by HÛT — Photo by Emanuelis Stasaitis

De Beauvoir Townhouse, UK, by HÛT

As part of the overhaul of a home in London, British architecture studio HÛT finished the surfaces and joinery in the main bedroom in sage green, nodding to the use of green shades in the kitchen and living room downstairs.

According to the studio, the muted green colour was chosen for its timelessness and longevity, as well as for its visual appeal when paired with exposed timber.

Find out more about De Beauvoir Townhouse ›

Interior of Hygge Studio by Melina Romano — Photo by MCA Estúdio

Hygge Studio, Brazil, by Melina Romano

Brazilian designer Melina Romano used a myriad of earthy colours, textures and decorations to achieve a modern interior with “rustic charm” in this São Paulo apartment.

Terracotta flooring and creamy brick walls were complemented with comfy furniture and soft furnishing in earthy tones, including the rust-coloured bed frame and elongated headboard in the bedroom.

Romano also added a tropical leafy plant, branches speckled with lichen and insect-shaped wall art to the space.

Find out more about Hygge Studio ›

Custom bed in Twentieth house by Woods and Dangaran — Photo by Joe Fletcher

Twentieth, USA, by Woods + Dangaran

Wood panelling, vintage furnishings and earthy-brown colours characterise the interior spaces of the Twentieth house in Santa Monica by Los Angeles studio Woods +Dangaran, which was built around an olive tree.

The primary bedroom was designed to feel flush and luxurious, with a Mehraban silk shag rug, brass fixtures and a custom bed recessed into a wooden surround.

Find out more about Twentieth ›

Bedroom in Flat#6 by Studio MK27 — Photo by Fran Parente

Flat #6, Brazil, by Studio MK27

Also featuring a custom-made wooden bed surround is this bedroom designed by local architecture and design practice Studio MK27.

The practice added tactile rugs, blankets and fabric wall panels in various shades of brown and light neutrals to contrast with the basalt stone flooring in the São Paulo apartment.

“Natural light warms up every piece and every corner, letting the woods, the velvets and the stones speak louder,” said Studio MK27.

Find out more about Flat #6 ›

Escondido Oaxa Hotel by Decada Muebles — Photo by Undine Pröhl

Escondido Oaxaca Hotel, Mexico, by Decada Muebles

Interiors studio Decada Muebles finished the bedrooms of this boutique hotel in Oaxaca City with woven palm leaf headboards and sabino wood furniture pieces made by local artisans, including side tables, bed frames and shutters.

Alongside the wood accents, stucco walls help to add warmth and texture to the space and create a relaxing place for vacationers to stay.

Find out more about Escondido Oaxaca Hotel ›

The Palace Gate by Tala Fustok — Photo by Michael Sinclair

The Palace Gate Apartment, UK, by Tala Fustok Studio

Local interior design practice Tala Fustok Studio transformed this west London apartment into a “calm sanctuary” with a mixture of stone textures, earthy fabrics and a soft-warm colour palette.

The centrepiece of the bedroom is a 1960s-style velvet bed in a dusty pink hue. Decorative items surrounding it include a wall tapestry, a modern stone fireplace and an organically-shaped ceramic statue.

Find out more about The Palace Gate Apartment ›

Lom Haijai by Studionomad — Photo by Supee Juntranggur

Lom Haijai, Thailand, by Studionomad

Lom Haijai is an apartment block in Bangkok designed by architecture practice Studionomad, which features trees growing through the facade’s louvres.

Each bedroom in the apartment block has a Juliet balcony that looks over an internal courtyard. Wooden flooring and wall panelling add to the nature-inspired theme of the design.

Find out more about Lom Haijai ›

Reference

Sustainable News

Eco-friendly sneakers are 97 per cent natural

By Zarkon Group,07/10/2022

Spotted: Having inherited their family shoe business, and after learning the ins and outs of the industry, a pair of Croatian brothers, the Boljars, decided to step away from the literal toxicity of footwear. They created Miret, an eco-friendly sneaker made from 97 per cent natural materials. The upper is wool, the insole is hemp, and the outer is natural rubber and cork.

The remaining three per cent of the shoe consists of synthetic glue and polyester thread. The brand emphasises that although its footwear is low impact, it is by no means ‘sustainable’. Production still affects the Earth, and most of the company’s products, including the sneakers, are not easily compostable. Making shoes from bio-based materials is a huge improvement, though, and something the company wants to continually improve.

Replacing the glue and thread with natural materials is a priority, as is continuing to raise the profile of the threat of plastic pollution to the natural environment. Assembling the shoes in the same country that the brand is based in helps reduce emissions. And the Life Cycle Assessment of the full emissions footprint of a single pair of Miret sneakers is 3.7 kilogrammes of carbon dioxide. That compares to the 14 kilogrammes of carbon dioxide typically created during the production of a pair of sneakers.

Environmentally friendly sneakers are becoming more common and are an exciting area of development. Springwise has spotted materials innovations that include plant-based oils and eucalyptus used in a biodegradable shoe and a brand that offers a vegan, fully traceable sneaker.

Written By: Keely Khoury

Reference

Sustainable News

Natural rubber made from dandelions

By Zarkon Group,15/04/2022

Spotted: More than 99 per cent of the world’s natural rubber is made from latex derived from rubber trees – almost all of which grow in southeast Asia. The tyre industry uses around 70 per cent of this rubber – and demand is growing all the time, raising several issues related to sustainability, governance, social, and economic practices. One major purchaser of natural rubber is The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. Goodyear has previously committed to sourcing the rubber sustainably, and now the company is partnering with the US Department of Defense (DoD), BioMADE, the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL), and Farmed Materials to develop a domestic source of natural rubber.

The programme will focus on developing Taraxacum kok-saghyz—a species of dandelion also known as TK—as an alternative to natural rubber trees. Farmed Materials, which develops agriculturally derived and sustainable high-performance polymers, has shown good results from pilot programmes using TK. Now, with funding from the DoD, Farmed Materials will speed up development of TK-based rubber – beginning with the planting and harvesting of TK seeds in Ohio.

While it takes rubber trees around seven years of growth before the latex can be harvested, the TK dandelions can be harvested every six months. They can also be grown in a more temperate climate than rubber trees. The natural rubber produced from the programme will be used to produce military aircraft tyres. These will then undergo rigorous testing by the AFRL to ensure they are fit for use.

“This partnership highlights how BioMADE brings together companies of different sizes to solve critical problems,” said Melanie Tomczak, Chief Technology Officer at BioMADE. “We’re excited about this project, which holds a lot of promise for domestic rubber production and shows how bioindustrial manufacturing can help secure the domestic supply chain.”

Goodyear are not the only company working on a more sustainable alternative to traditional tyres. Last year, we covered a tyre made by Continental using a TK-based rubber, along with silicate from the ash of rice husks, and vegetable oils and resins. Previously, we took a look at a concept tyre that uses a liquid tread to repair itself and a recyclable rubber.

Written By: Lisa Magloff

14th April 2022

Website: corporate.goodyear.com

Contact: corporate.goodyear.com/us/en/about/contact-goodyear-corporate

Reference

Interior Design

Ten calming green kitchens that bring natural tones into the home

By Zarkon Group,22/06/2021

For our latest lookbook, we’ve rounded up ten fresh and airy kitchens that use shades of green to give a hint of the natural world.

From soft sage to bright emerald, green is this year’s kitchen colour trend, often paired with natural local materials.

Perhaps inspired by our craving for nature during the pandemic, calming sea greens, grassy hues and mossy tones are popular choices for kitchen cabinetry, walls or tiles.

This is the latest roundup in our Dezeen Lookbook series providing visual inspiration for the home. Previous articles in the series showcased living rooms with statement shelving, peaceful bedrooms and designer bathrooms.

Belgium Apartment, Belgium, by Carmine Van Der Linden and Thomas Geldof

Local architects Carmine Van Der Linden and Thomas Geldof designed this duplex for a coastal location surrounded by sand dunes on the Belgian coast.

To contrast the marble-topped counters, the architects choose to colour the splashback, shelving and panelled birch-wood cabinets in a shade of green that recalls seaweed and beach grasses.

“The colour choice of the wood subtly brings in the seaweed colour from the adjacent sea and the marram grasses in the surrounding dunes,” the architects explained.

Find out more about Belgium Apartment ›

Kitchen with countertops of terrazzo flecked with orange stone

The Mantelpiece Loft, Stockholm, Sweden, by Note Design Studio

Note Design Studio painted furniture in green and pink throughout The Mantelpiece Loft to stand out against its white walls.

Sage green was used for one of the staircases and a bedroom, as well as the kitchen cabinets that were paired with contrasting countertops of terrazzo flecked with orange stone.

Find out more about The Mantelpiece Loft ›

Apartment XVII, Lyon, France, by Studio Razavi

Studio Razavi combined pale-grey plaster, a light wooden floor and sea-green cabinets in this renovation of an apartment in a Renaissance-era building in the historic Vieux Lyon neighbourhood of Lyon in France.

The green kitchen cabinetry has a matching splashback with a stepped silhouette.

Find out more about Apartment XVII ›

Casa Mille apartment, Turin, Italy, by Fabio Fantolino

Italian architect Fabio Fantolino used pops of green and petrol blue throughout the interior of this apartment in Turin that he designed for himself.

In the herringbone-floored kitchen, sea-green cabinetry is paired with copper handles.

Find out more about Casa Mille ›

House extension, Sheffield, UK, by From Works

The bespoke kitchen of this house in Sheffield was designed to incorporate the materials and colours of moss-covered rocks found in the nearby Peak District.

It combines green-stained plywood with grey fossil limestone worktops and splashback sourced from a Derbyshire quarry.

Find out more about Sheffield house extension ›

Waterfront Nikis Apartment, Thessaloniki, Greece, by Stamatios Giannikis

Architect Stamatios Giannikis used colour-blocked walls painted in flamingo pink, azure blue and pastel green to define the different rooms in this seaside apartment in Greece.

The green chosen for the kitchen cabinets and walls was designed to be in sharp contrast with the apartment’s original geometric red and black cement-tile flooring.

Find out more about Waterfront Nikis Apartment ›

Apartment on a Mint Floor, Porto, Portugal, Fala Atelier

As the name suggests, Fala Atelier created a mint-green floor from epoxy resin throughout this two-bedroom apartment in Porto, Portugal.

To complement the floor, the apartment’s kitchen unit doors were coloured two subtly different shades of turquoise.

Find out more about Apartment on a Mint Floor ›

Parisian apartment, Paris, France, by Atelier Sagitta

French practice Atelier Sagitta added an almost entirely green kitchen to this previously characterless apartment in Paris.

The emerald-green walls and cabinets, combined with grooved oak cupboards made by a local cabinet maker, make the kitchen the focal point of the apartment.

Find out more about Paris Apartment ›

Esperinos guesthouse, Athens, Greece, by Stamos Michael

The kitchen of this guesthouse in Athens was painted a plum-purple hue to contrast with the rest of the largely moss-green interiors.

Green was also introduced in the kitchen where dark emerald cabinetry was matched with black, industrial-style shelves that display crockery.

Find out more about Esperinos guesthouse ›

Apartment #149, Lviv, Ukraine, by Roman Shpelyk

Interior designer Roman Shpelyk designed this apartment in the Ukrainian city of Lviv to have largely simple white interiors.

Colour was added with a plant-filled shelving unit and the forest-green laminated-plywood cabinetry in the kitchen.

Find out more about Apartment #149 ›

This is the latest in our series of lookbooks providing curated visual inspiration from Dezeen’s image archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing peaceful bedrooms, calm living rooms and colourful kitchens.

Reference

Interior Design

Ten calm interiors with natural clay wall finishes that don’t need painting

By Zarkon Group,21/06/2021

In this special lookbook sponsored by natural finishes brand Clayworks, we’ve selected 10 interiors from our archives that feature walls finished with the brand’s clay plaster.

Clay finishes are a healthy, breathable alternative to paints or wallpaper on internal walls and ceilings. Naturally pigmented and free of toxic ingredients, they are made of natural materials, do not require painting and are compostable.

Clayworks‘ plaster finishes are manufactured in Cornwall, England. Here are 10 homes, restaurants and offices that showcase their products.

Porteous’ Studio, Edinburgh, by Izat Arundell

Design studio Izat Arundell converted this former blacksmith’s workshop in Edinburgh into a compact apartment with a muted material palette.

Clay-based plaster was applied to the walls to create a calm tone, with a simple palette of stone and wood used to create an overall natural feel.

Find out more about Porteous’ Studio ›

Birch and Clay Refugio, London, by Rise Design Studio

As its name suggests, this renovated and extended London flat called Birch and Clay Refugio makes extensive use of clay finishes.

The kitchen features light grey plaster walls, while a calming light grey-green shade was used for the master bedroom and a light pastel pink in the children’s bedroom.

Find out more about Birch and Clay Refugio ›

Sticks n Sushi, London, by Norm Architects

This London sushi restaurant by Danish studio Norm Architects was designed to have a series of spaces each with its own atmosphere.

Light clay finishes were used in the larger, more open restaurant spaces, with darker tones applied to create a more intimate feel in the private dining areas.

Find out more about Sticks n Sushi ›

Devon Passivhaus, Devon, McLean Quinlan

This low-rise Passivhaus home by McLean Quinlan is set behind a red-brick wall that obscures the textured interiors and art-filled hidden courtyard.

The studio aimed to create a “serene” environment inside the home by pairing rough sawn oak flooring with clay plaster walls and charred wood cabinetry.

Find out more about Devon Passivhaus ›

Dulong store, Copenhagen, by Norm Architects

Norm Architects combined natural materials to create a calm finish for this jewellery showroom in Copenhagen, which was informed by modernist artists’ studios.

The studio used a light clay plaster with a smooth finish as the backdrop for the store that has oak flooring and travertine furniture.

Find out more about Dulong store ›

Barbican apartment, London, by Takero Shimazaki Architects

Takero Shimazaki Architects was informed by a client with strong ties with Japan for the interiors of this apartment in central London’s Barbican estate.

Throughout the flat, the studio aimed to balance Japanese architectural language with the concrete structure of the brutalist Barbican complex. Walls finished with clay were combined with tatami mats and numerous timber finishes.

Find out more about Barbican apartment ›

Hoof cafe, Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, by Bone

Design studio Bone used rustic clay plaster for the walls of this cafe in the United Arab Emirates as part of its design that aims to recall horse stalls.

Named Hoof, the spartan cafe was furnished with blocky hand-brushed steel counters to contrast the naturally finished walls.

Find out more about Hoof cafe ›

Highgate home, London, by House of Grey

Interiors studio House of Grey chose the furnishings and finishes of this London home with the health of its occupants and the health of the planet in mind.

Along with custom-designed timber furniture and a bed upholstered using coconut husk fibres, the home’s walls are finished with natural clay.

Find out more about Highgate house ›

Leaf House, London, by Szczepaniak Astridge

Designed to be a peaceful retreat in south London, this loft extension contains a master bedroom focused on a wooden bath with views across London.

Japanese interior design, as well as sustainability, was important for the choice of materials used in the loft, which has clay covering its roof and walls.

Find out more about Leaf House ›

Clay House, London, by Simon Astridge

Architect Simon Astridge uses layers of coarse clay to line the walls of this one-bedroom apartment on the top floor of a Victorian mid-terraced property in London.

Appropriately named Clay House, the material was used to give an unfinished appearance to the walls and ceilings of the open plan living space and create a calm atmosphere in the bedroom.

Find out more about Clay House ›

This is the latest in our series of lookbooks providing curated visual inspiration from Dezeen’s image archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing green kitchen interiors, peaceful bedrooms, calm living rooms and colourful kitchens.

This lookbook was produced by Dezeen for Clayworks as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

Reference

Kitchen in Tibur House by Paul Archer Design

Interior Design

Ten bright kitchens that are flooded with natural light

By Zarkon Group,20/06/2021

In the first of a trio of spring lookbooks this Easter weekend, we’ve selected ten bright kitchens that are flooded with light from wide windows, skylights and full-height glass doors.

This is the latest roundup in our Dezeen Lookbooks series providing visual inspiration for the home. Previous articles in the series feature inspiring outdoor living spaces, calming green kitchens, and living rooms with beautiful statement shelving.

Tibur House, UK, by Paul Archer Design

This 15-square-metre addition to the rear of a house in north London contains a bright, open-plan kitchen and dining area.

Architecture studio Paul Archer Design topped a side extension with a skylight that runs the length of the kitchen while full-height glass doors let light into a dining area.

Find out more about Tibur House ›

Akari House, Spain, by Mas-aqui

Mas-aqui renovated an apartment near Barcelona into a light-filled home named Akari House after a Japanese term for light.

The apartment has a large skylight built into a roof terrace above that provides the kitchen with light.

Find out more about Akari House ›

London kitchen extension with green details

Overcast House, UK, by Office S&M

Designed for a colour consultant, this kitchen extension by Office S&M in London combines several on-trend colours including Millennium Pink and Mint Green.

The space also doubles up as an area for the consultant to work and meet with clients, so it was essential that the kitchen was evenly lit.

Find out more about Overcast House ›

Vikki’s Place, Australia, by Curious Practice

Curious Practice used birch plywood throughout the interiors of this multi-generational home in the Australian city of Newcastle.

In the kitchen, which is bookended by sliding glass doors, birch plywood was also used to make simple open-face cabinets that were paired with countertops clad in stainless steel.

Find out more about Vikki’s Place ›

Light-filled kitchen with full height glass walls

House in Los Vilos, Chile, by Office of Ryue Nishizawa

Designed as a retreat on the Chilean coast by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Ryue Nishizawa, House in Los Vilos has a spectacular kitchen flanked on both sides by full-height glass walls.

Set under the home’s wavy concrete roof, the kitchen has expansive views of the Pacific Ocean.

Find out more about House in Los Vilos ›

Apartment in Brasilia with lattice-like wall to let in light

Brasília apartment, Brazil, by Bloco Arquitetos

Brazilian studio Bloco Arquitetos stripped back this 1960s apartment in Brasília and divided it up using translucent partitions.

At the front of the apartment, the kitchen is backed by a lattice-like wall with square cutouts that provides natural light and air to the apartment.

Find out more about Brasília apartment ›

Casa Aguantao, Chile, by Guillermo Acuña Arquitectos Asociados

This rural house in Chile occupies a pair of structures elevated on stilts and topped with grooved-metal roofs.

Placed at the end of one of the raised buildings, the long kitchen is enclosed by a wall of full-height glazing to give views across the surrounding countryside.

Find out more about Casa Aguantao ›

AR Residence, UK, by DeDraft

Architecture studio DeDraft added a kitchen extension clad in green aluminium panels to this house in London.

The compact addition contains a small dining area alongside large windows and a glass door next to a kitchen that is topped with a skylight.

Find out more about AR Residence ›

Wyoming house, USA, by Olson Kundig

In Jackson Hole, Wyoming, US studio Olson Kundig designed a house with large windows that can be covered in wooden shutters.

On the ground floor, the kitchen was positioned alongside one of the large windows so that it receives plenty of light.

Find out more about Wyoming house ›

Burrows Road, UK, by Rise Design Studio

Rise Design Studio created a large kitchen-cum-dining room at the rear of this mid-terrace house.

To bring plenty of light into the space, an extension made almost entirely of glass was added to the side of the home with full-height glass doors at the rear.

Find out more about Burrows Road ›

Reference

Natural

Henning Larsen uses natural materials at Feldballe School in Denmark

Natural Connections exhibition aims to “help people rediscover nature”

Natural food colourants made from fungi

Undulating concrete conceals Chaohu Natural and Cultural Centre in China

Ten earthy bedrooms that use natural colours and textures

Eco-friendly sneakers are 97 per cent natural

Natural rubber made from dandelions

Ten calming green kitchens that bring natural tones into the home

Ten calm interiors with natural clay wall finishes that don’t need painting

Ten bright kitchens that are flooded with natural light

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