Amid urgent climate warnings, the preservation of nature is vital. Slowly but surely, the economic argument is being made that protection may be more profitable than destruction.

Materials in this story celebrate the natural environment from wood to stone and natural fibres. LAND also looks to agro-waste for biomaterials, with serendipitous outcomes in surface directions. 

Design and architectural projects sit at the intersection of art and science, with an emphasis on connection and knowledge sharing, workshops and collaboration.

Patterns play with the macro and micro in aerial landscapes, both natural and farmed.

LAND was first published in MIX Magazine issue 72, and the following material, pattern and finish directions are explored in more detail in our 2025 CMF Directions.

 

Paula Ulargui Escalona | Naturaleza Simbiotica | Models María García, Marcases Cobaar, @e.mtv.p | MUA Camila Silveira | Photo @blanmaza

 

Curated Nature

Paula Ulargui Escalona employs fashion as a medium to foster a connection with nature in her collection, Naturaleza Simbiotica. Escalona nurtures seeds, plants and living organisms, embedding them in blossoming garments that celebrate life’s beginnings.

 

Valerie van Schaik | Crafts Academy at DDW 2023 | Crafts Council Nederland | Exhibition design Studio Jeroen van Veluw | Photo Fan Liao

 

The invasive nature of organic growth explored in PLANT (2024/25) evolves with an emphasis on thoughtful curation. This curated growth is explored through delicate craft, as seen in Valerie van Schaik’s intricate embroidery.

 

Spacemen Studio | Urban Bloom, 2022 | Braun Büffel store, Putrajaya, Malaysia | Photo David Yeow Photography

 

The moss-covered centrepiece of the Braun Büffel store, designed by Spacemen Studio, is an abstract interpretation of an epic living tree.

 

Organic Laquer

 

Yuhan Bai | Bio Soil Leather | Materialised exhibition at MDW 2023 | Isola Design

 

Natural finishes achieve a radiant and rich, amber-like quality. Soil-based biomaterials attain a gleaming surface in Yuhan Bai’s leather alternative.

 

Yu Watanabe | Radiance of Nature with Urushi | Bamboo coated with Urushi | Photo Tom Miller

 

Yu Watanabe revisits the declining, ancient craft of Urushi, creating impressive lighting sealed with this shiny natural Japanese sap.

 

Guided Geometry

 

Lucia Giron | Make Like a Leaf | Photosynthetic biomineralised panel | Olivine, calcite, photosynthetic cyanobacteria sp. synechococcus, calcium carbonate | Photo Paul Cochrane

 

The structural perfection and geometry found in nature is a strong driver for pattern. Through the process of photosynthetic biomineralisation, Lucia Giron creates geometric panels in Make Like a Leaf.

 

Snøhetta | Vulkan Beehives | Birch-plywood, lacquer | Photo Morten Brakestad

 

In architecture, hexagonal birch-plywood towers are lacquered and fabricated with precise honeycomb relief in the Vulkan Beehives by Snøhetta.

 

Anett Papp | Naturing | Wheatgrass | Circolare – The Circular Village at MDW 2023 | Isola Design | Photo Dániel Ludman

 

In Nurturing, Anett Papp co-designs with nature to create living textiles. By guiding the growth of wheatgrass into geometric moulds and templates, this intelligent root system develops into a continuous and connected surface.

 

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