NATURAL DENSITY

BY FRANKLINTILL

Inspired by natural materials, organic shapes and a Scandinavian sensibility designers are celebrating the inherent beauty and honesty of natural fibres such as wool, linen, silks together with hard raw materials such as rock and stone. 

The imperfection of aged and weathered materials are celebrated by designers and architects keen to pay homage to the graceful aging process of hard-wearing natural materials. Israeli designer Ayala Serfay’s new collection of sculptural furniture includes upholstered pieces whose texture resembles lichen-covered stone and rock. Serfay’s exploration into the ancient technique of felt making results in layers of line, silk and wools molded together to create a highly textured skin that appears aged and worn by the elements. 

Whilst some designers are imitating nature others are using it as a design tool. Andere Monjo captures raindrops to develop naturally stained surfaces.  Monjo’s ‘Rain Tables’ allow nature to take control, using weather as decorative pattern maker to create unique and unreplicable stained patterns that appear more like marbled textures. 

There is a renewed interest for simplistic, primitive forms that give the impression of permanence and reliability. Carefully considered compositions of marble, slate, granite and quartz reconnect us to the wondered of the planets creations. The rawness of such materials are celebrated by artists such as Chen Chen who embeds stones and rocks in cement.

The primary palette is composed of stone greys and charcoals creating a minimalist colour direction in which surface and texture are important to create subtle differences in tone. Deep burgundy ensures that this palette remains neither overtly masculine nor feminine.

Colour:
GFSmith: Beckett Expression Alabaster 118gsm
GFSmith: Nomad Bedrock
PANTONE 427 U
GFSmith: Gmund Alezan Rhinoceros Wild 300gsm
PANTONE 409 U
GFSmith: Gmund Bier Ale 250gsm
PANTONE 262 U