We are focused on designing for the long term
We start with the materials we use. All of our designs are made from a carefully selected range of materials, chosen for their building qualities, their sustainable credentials and, of course, their natural beauty. By restricting ourselves to a sustainable pallet we are forced to innovate and experiment, within a sustainable environment, creating new techniques and designs.
Wood is one of the most sustainable and environmentally friendly building materials. As the timber is grown, the tree provides habitat for animals and insects, prevents soild errosion and fertlises the ground when leaves are shed. The tree itself acts as a carbon trap, holding in carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere, whilst producing oxygen for us to breath. If managed correctly a forest can have timber coppiced or felled at the same rate new seedlings are planted, to keep a constant level of young, adolescent and mature trees all year round. Standards, such as the FSC ensure timber that is sourced from these forests are managed sustainably. We are always thrilled to use wood in our designs and continue to explore other ways to include it for future projects. All of our wood is sourced from FSC approved woodlands. The final benefit to wood is if an item is damaged at any stage during its life it is 100% organic, and will compost back into the ground. All of our stains are either naturally occuring (such as scorching) or are from water-based stains, allowing for them to compost easily. For us, this is the important final stage of a material that reduces it’s long term impact on the planet, if it can no longer be used.
Following on from the benefits of wood, paper is a processed form of the material and so carries similar benefits. Virgin paper uses a lot of water to produce and so all of our packaging is made from 70% recycled paper. We are now expanding our use of this versatile material, exploring its sculptural qualities and the luminous glow it can create. Historically paper mache was used to make dolls bodies and even the horn on old gramophones, so has a proven record for longevity and strength, but also compostible, if ever damaged beyond repair.
Brass is the core material across our designs, it has been used for centuries in decorative lighting for its beauty, its versatility and because, as a non-ferrous material, it does not rust or corrode. The material is infinitely recyclable, meaning nothing is lost when it is smelted down to form a new piece of brass. It is also a valuable metal, so recycling and saving techniques have been an industry standard for decades, as a result it is estimatead that only 30% of the world’s brass stock is virgin material. We recycle all waste brass as part of our manufacturing process. including off-cuts and shavings. Our parts are machined from solid brass billets, containing 78% recycled materials from the start, with this increasing to 90% by 2030.
A large part of what we make in the studio are lampshades, traditional hand-stitched and made with only 100% natural materials, no polyester. As with all organic materials, the core ingrediant can be sustainably grown from seed, provide bio diversity to the land it is grown on and uses little-to-no harmful chemicals to produce the fabric or dyes. Natural materials have further advantages, they can be composted at the end of their (very) long life, a standard linen shade will last well above 20 years if kept dry and are naturally fire resistant when tested in a laboratory to lighting standards. We continue to explore ideas on how we can produce new designs with fabric, with recent success in our range of wall and pendant lights, that allow for the fabric shade to be removed and machine-washed, further increasing the longevity of the light and allowing for spare shades to be made if the original are stained.
This is a tricky one, and is our only compromise. It is a beutiful, adaptable natural material, that is far more effcient than solid stone as it is formed from a liquid and molded into the final solid shape. It is the only material we have found that allows us to sculpt and create objects that evoke aged earth or hand-formed sculptures. To negate some of the environmental issues we practice the following methods; Electric kiln with sustainable energy provider, we Re-use all wet clays and limit the glazed to natural, non toxic glazes. All iterms are made-to-order in small batches and we continue to experiment with methods of re-use and repair such as Kintsukuroi.
Worldwide, glass manufacturing produces at least 86 million tonnes of CO2 every year and drives ever increasing demand for virgin sand and fresh water. However, glass is a perfect example of a net zero and circular material. It can be reused infinitely without any quality loss making it a perfect material for a circular low-carbon environment.
With recycled glass, most of the CO2 and negative impacts from creating virgin glass can be eliminated. Existing glass requires less energy to melt compared to raw materials and any emissions that can be created when making virgin glass from raw materials breaking down in the furnace are avoided. We love the natural vairety in opacity that is possible with recylced glass and believe it is this kind of innovation that will ensure product design can become a sustainable endeavour.
