We know that people who feel connected to nature are happier, healthier and ultimately more productive, but we don’t have to go outside to experience the myriad benefits that connection can bring.
More and more interior designers, architects, planners and developers, as well those at the top of industry, are recognising the value in creating spaces where nature can thrive indoors, be it at home or in the workplace. And with a move towards more regenerative, natural materials creating more circular processes,
our ‘Meet the Makers’ night, as part of the Bio-Spaces exhibition curated by Planted and Oliver Heath Design, highlighted some of the brands leading this conversation.
In a fast-paced series of presentations, brands whose products and materials helped bring nature indoors, along with designers who created those natural spaces, each explained in six minutes how they did it and why.
Speakers included:
TySyml - Adam Davies (Founder): An award-winning experimental design studio from South Wales focused on the use of seaweed and mycelium (mushroom) composites as materials to create products such as lampshades and acoustic wall panels.
GENCORK - Brimet Silva (Creative Director): A Portuguese design brand that created wall coverings and lighting with 100% natural and sustainable cork, using generative design algorithms and advanced digital fabrication processes.
Sofia Hagen - Sofia Hagen (Founder): An award-winning creative practice working at the intersection of art, design, and tech to create 3D-printed sculptural products and installations that merged recycled materials with traditional craftsmanship, pushing the boundaries of engineering while bearing the incentive of a continuous, sustainable afterlife.
Paul Crofts Studio - Paul Crofts (Founder): An award-winning London-based multidisciplinary design studio focusing on contemporary product, furniture, and interior design. They just launched the world's first 100% recycled cork sofa and light therapy chair by MoodLight.
Cecoceco - Henry Schmidt (Creative Director): Creators of ArtMorph, luminous wall panels that combined LED lighting and display technology, bringing nature connections into the design of interior spaces.
Blast Studio - Paola Garnousset and Pierre de Pingon (Co-Founders): A sustainably focused designer-maker studio that transformed waste into furniture and architecture using robots and living organisms.
Host: Sam Peters, Planted Community
Image: Biophilia Conservatory by Joe Mortell