Material Matters
This past summer and fall, we had the opportunity to participate in an advisory council at the Rhode Island School of Design. It is a gathering of faculty and alumni considering the future of the beloved department where we met as students. Something that often comes up in these conversations is the role of the uniquely robust shop experience we all had - from wood to metal to model making - and how relevant it still feels in our professional lives.
There is an intimacy to working with materials over time that is hard to describe to folks who don’t have experience thinking through making. There is something uniquely human to this approach to design that seems critical to pull through into the future.
In our studio practice today, we continue to design with a deep reverence for materials. Every piece begins with the careful consideration of the properties of a material: the particular grain of a type of wood or the soft resiliency of cork. It is a privilege and responsibility as designers to respect and highlight these qualities. Below we explore a few of our favorites.
Wood
Our standard wood is FSC certified ash. We love ash for its strength, color and grain. We also appreciate it as a fast-growing hardwood as this makes it a more rapidly renewable resource over other wood species.
Over the past decade, our ash has come from North American trees that had to come down due to a wood-boring beetle infestation.
As this stock dwindles, we have begun to integrate additional ways of sourcing lumber within our local community and are connecting with a few mills that can process forest free urban and rural salvage as well as reclaimed wood from architectural projects.
Cork
We are grateful to source our cork from a family-operated business founded 1870 in Portugal. The drought-resistant forests where our cork is harvested are home to over 200 animal species and 135 plant species and are considered a biodiversity hotspot.
In addition to all this, the inherent properties of cork include being hypoallergenic, moisture and fire resistant, sound and heat insulating as well as soft and resilient to touch.
Cork is made from the outer bark of the cork oak tree. These trees grow in Mediterranean climates and can live for up to 200 years. Due to the regeneration process, the more bark harvested from the tree, the more carbon is absorbed.
As we continue to see temperatures rise across the globe, there may be an opportunity to sustainably grow cork closer to home.
Wool
We use 100% undyed English wool as our standard yarn for all of our rugs. Natural wool is highly durable and stain resistant without the need for chemical treatments.
Wool is also naturally flame resistant due to its high level of moisture making it a great option for commercial spaces. In addition, as a natural fiber, wool is considered a renewable resource.
For folks not wanting to use animal products, we also offer Sunbrella on request. Our Sunbrella yarn is made with 50% recycled content and is Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified. As well as being our vegan option, Sunbrella rugs are fade resistant and can be used indoors and outdoors.
