Forward-Thinking Furniture – Mansion Global

Material Movement

Material selection is an important area where designers are innovating, and particularly with sustainable materials.

There are innumerable benefits to working with recycled materials andfinding sustainable solutions tomanufacturing, Mr. Sidhu said.An example of this isKarta-Pack, whichis a post-consumer material made from the cotton fibers found inclothing like jeans and shirts. It'scommonly manufactured because of its highly customizable features and strength, he said.

Karta-Pack is being used to create molded furniture designs that feel like fabric but are solid enough to sustain the weight of a person.

Designer Timothy Oulton, founder and creative director of Timothy Oulton furniture and interiors based in Hong Kong, gravitates toward leather for its timeless nature but is manipulating it in new ways. For what he calls a buff burnished finish, Mr. Oulton gently burns the leather and then buffs it by hand using lambs wool on the finished piece.

Its the perfect blend of classic vintage style with a rich, burnished finish, he said.

Meanwhile, Mr. Oulton has been working with ancient rocks and crystals.

Our new Frozen lighting and mirror range is made from natural calcite crystals. The calcite emitsa verysoft, gentle glow when illuminated and has this almost mystical romance about it, he said.

While Gabriela Gargano, founder of Grisoro Designs in New York City, prefers to focus on classic, natural materials (wools, linens, stone, metals), shes also been impressed with a newer generation of synthetics.

Most notably, the progress in nylon rugs has been remarkable, she said. Some of our highest-quality vendors have been able to develop options that feel luxurious and are incredibly durable. The pile, look and feel have come a long way; its a great alternative that is both kid- and pet-friendly, Ms. Gargano said.

And then there are innovative uses of legacy materials.Mr. Sidhu works with a kind of barbed sheet metal to enhance his furniture designsby eliminating traditionalnotions ofconnectivity (i.e. glue, welding, bolting), while strengthening the physical bond between sheets.

Materials like grip metal demonstratean often-unexplored rift between the obligation of the design world to enhance visual appeal and the responsibility ofmanufacturing to focus on structural integrity. Somewhere deep in that rift is a gold mine that seamlessly communicates with both parties, Mr. Sidhu said.

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Forward-Thinking Furniture - Mansion Global