Material Directions 2024/25: Grain

January 23, 2024

In the face of global disruption and increasing resource scarcity, where we live takes on a totemic importance, inspiring designers to look to the land and cultural identity for inspiration.

Visually, this story draws together threads from around the world. Traditional woven and embroidered textiles feature prominently, as well as subtle references to the grids of fields as seen from the sky and the furrows cut into ploughed earth.

Grain was first published in MIX Magazine issue 70, and the following material, pattern and finish directions are explored in more detail in our 2024/25 CMF Directions.

Baked

Referencing agricultural food themes, surfaces appear baked, paying homage to the humble loaf. The Terra Cotta series of bowls by Talia Mukmel combine basic methods and materials, and are made from sand and flour. Indicative of the crusty surface of bread, the bowls are then baked in an oven.

Lulu Harrison’s glass experiments using glass frit from waste materials evoke the appearance of the inner crumb of bread.

Rustic Sheen

In line with Grain’s rural aesthetic, finishes appear with a rustic sheen. London plane wood is oiled revealing the material’s organic grain in the Mesa de Baile coffee table by Wilkinson & Rivera for SCP.

In ceramics, this is achieved as glazes pool with thicker applications. This can be seen in Charlotte Visser’s series of agrarian ceramic bowls, using a glaze made from gathered salt from Soledar mines in Ukraine.

Folk

The cultural importance of folk art feeds into pattern directions with an emphasis on natural landscapes and animals. In Terracotta Blues, vases are wheel-thrown by Chiara Zoppei and illustrated by Clara Holt using blue slip and the sgraffito technique. The folk-inspired scenes are informed by places, mythology and childhood stories.