Press Briefing from Next Big Thing

Natural Interiors

There is a growing distrust of the future. Once seen as a time of hope and technological utopia, the negative ecological and political impact of technology is making us think again about the concept of 'advancement'. Designers are looking back at traditional environments and techniques. They are taking the finest of the past and combining it with the best of the present: mixing contemporary techniques with traditional designs and materials.

It is not just the past that is being seen as a brake against the dangers of technology and the future; it is Nature itself. Because of this, designers are looking to emphasise the natural in their creations, utilising natural materials and giving them raw, faded and weathered finishes in order to reveal the texture and 'authentic nature' of the material. They are allowing brush strokes, and even rust and verdigris to show (and sometimes even creating such effects) in order to give a feeling of heritage and uniqueness. This is apparent in Fired Earth's Bastide collections in both the finish of the wood and the use of the natural lavastone.

Materials and forms are increasingly natural. Paper, wood, silk, felt, ceramic and glass are being used in their most 'natural' forms to create a neutral palette and to enhance natural textures. Shapes are those found in nature, such as curves, twists and jagged edges. Wood is the material of choice for more and more of today's product and interior designers. It's eco-friendly: natural, sustainable and carbon-neutral. It's traditional: builders have been using it to create homes and furniture for millenia. And it's authentic: natural, wild growing and - tying in with a key new design trend - it can be functional even when weathered (see above). It is being used for traditional products - chairs, tables, cabinets - but also more modern products; manufacturers in Scandinavia and the Far East have even started making wooden computers with wooden mice!

Colours, as well as textures, are increasingly natural: browns, greens and stones to 'represent' nature, whites and neutrals to allow the 'true', authentic nature of the materials to come out. Coastal colours, too, are coming in - part of an overall 'coastal' versus urban trend.

There is growing emphasis on the everyday. An 'everyday' kitchen table is more and more the heart of the home, cluttered with familiar and informal objects: collections of individual plates, bowls and teacups, patterned and hand-finished. Still life painting, especially charming Dutch kitchen scenes, is proving an inspiration. This ties in with fresh, local produce and the communal, domestic aspect of the kitchen (see below). It is also about calm and quiet as an antidote to our rush-rush-rush world. And it's about the positive aspects of memory and nostalgia. 

Interior design is echoing fashion design in it's mix of a few unique, often vintage signature pieces, with an ever-changing range of cheaper 'fast fashion' accessories. Antique finds are reworked to create quirky new designs. Interior designers, like those in the fashion world a few years ago, are hunting in vintage stores and car boot sales for individual pieces that have a distinct character and back-story. Some are left as they are, others are re-worked and reinvented.

Concious Consumers  

Trends driving consumption (especially of food) are changing. More and more we are considering the impact of what we buy (and how we buy it) on ourselves, our families and our communities. Today, it is less about convenience (because we are going out less, we do not need to rush our food preparation as much and instead enjoy the benefits of slow food) and more about health (we increasingly understand the link between 'good' good food and good health).

It is less about price and more about value (healthy food is better at fuelling the body, avoiding ill health, sustaining our children and our planet). Less about weight and more about wellbeing.

We are not just worried about our own health, but that of our planet. More than 80% of all Britons - and more than 50% of C2DEs - bought organic products last year. 53% of Britons today are prepared to pay more for products that benefit the environment, compared to just 17% willing to pay more for designer or fashion labels.

Even hard discounters - such as Lidl, Aldi and Netto - are offering organic own-brand products. Almost half of all baby products bought were organic. Free-range eggs sales rose by 31% from 2002-2005. Sales of organic food and drink increased by 30% in 2005, a threefold increase on that of 2004. The Sainsbury's So Organic wine range enjoyed a 500% sales increase in 2006. Even Levi's is now offering organic jeans.

The amount of waste we recycled as individuals rose by 28% from 2004-2005. (We are seeing the manufacture of 'designer' home recycling bins.) Since the first Aga was made more than 80 years ago, 70% of each one has been made from previously used iron.

Ecological and ethical concerns are no longer just the province of 'eco warriors' - they have become an important issue across mainstream Britain. And, as global warming becomes a relaity, even the most 'conservative' Britons are showing an interest in what was once considered a purely 'socialist' issue: the residents of Ambridge in the Radio 4 soap opera The Archers have now launched a campaign to rid their roads of 4 x 4s.

Up to now, consumers' biggest concerns have been health-based. For example, they have been avoiding pesticides and genetic modification. But increasingly they are worried about 'bigger', more global issues, such as carbon footprinting, especially as regards travel and transportation. What last year might have seen us choosing organic over 'farmed' will tomorrow see us choosing locally farmed over imported organic.

This is leading to more consideration of our usage of fuels and a growing demand for new biofuels. Aga, for example, has recently launched a biofuel-ready range cooker. As we will see this summer, there are also more concerns over the decreasing availability of water. Concious consumption's 'early adopters' (those who first chose organic food) are looking to fit their homes with water meters, water butts and even wind turbines.

Aga is researching new energy sources to use for its range cookers and has installed a wind turbine at it's head office. We are also becoming increasingly concerned about packagaing and its impact on waste, a cause we are seeing being furthered by such unlikely bedfellows as Asda and the WI.

This focus on the planet is also encouraging two other trends: traditionalising and communalising. Aga, for example, has seen a rise in solid-fuel rayburns and a renewed interest in stoves. We are looking to the past as a time when man was more able to live with nature rather than against it. More and more, Britons are showing an interest in their heritage: that of their own families, their villages and cities and their country's. We are seeing a resurgence of interest in folk music (from Joanna Newsom to Jack Johnson) to folk crafts (knitting to scrapbooking).

We increasingly care how our family, community and globe are going to be sustained in the future, and as such are considering local businesses and artisans more. Fired Earth has long supported artisan suppliers. Sixty percent of the company's wall tiles are hand made or hand decorated. More than 70% are sourced in the UK or Europe and of these 36% are from the UK. Heritage-and sustainability-led furniture makers will soon join organic farmers as the new heroes of the 21st century.

As the creative and communal hub of the house, the kitchen is an increasingly important room. It is the offline version of online social networking hubs such as MySpace. There is an increasing demand for kitchens that offer warmth (literal and metaphorical) and health and also for kitchen/dining areas: places that offer space and comfort for the whole family to sit and commune. This explains the ever- increasing popularity of the Aga, which is often described by Aga owners as turning the kitchen into the heart of the home.

But another room, too, is returning to popularity: the bathroom. In a world of increasing stress and constant availability (via mobile phones, email and so on) we are increasingly seeking places where we can 'switch off'. The bathroom is the most perfect of these: no one can disturb you and also you can pamper yourself. But consumers are ensuring they do so with eco-friendly and natural products. Fired Earth's Bastide and Shaker bathrooms - as well as the company's wet rooms and free-standing baths - illustrate the trend toward consumers creating bathrooms which offer a place within to escape.


William Higham
Founder, Next Big Thing