As the surfaces sector undergoes a slow but significant shift towards reduced embodied carbon, UK materials technology company Dekiln is developing a kiln-free alternative to conventional ceramic tiles and, with it, replaces high-temperature firing with a low-energy, bio-based manufacturing process.

The starting point for Dekiln is a fundamental rethink of what a tile actually is. Rather than relying on traditional clay bodies and energy-intensive kilns, the company has developed a patented composite material that mimics many of the visual and performance characteristics of ceramics without the need for sintering or glazing. The result is a tile-like material formed at ambient temperatures, using a combination of plant-derived binders and finely processed waste mineral streams, including recycled gypsum plaster.

In environmental terms, the implications are significant, with the material achieving a reduction in embodied carbon of up to 94% compared with conventional ceramic tiles, while also incorporating more than 95% recycled content. For an industry where firing kilns remain one of the most energy-intensive stages of production, the removal of high-temperature processing represents a fundamental shift in how surface materials can be made.

Dekiln’s approach sits at the intersection of materials science and circular economy thinking. Waste streams that would typically be downcycled or discarded are instead re-engineered into a new composite matrix, where plant-based binders act as the structural glue. Once cured, the material behaves in a way that is intentionally familiar to specifiers: it can be cut, installed and finished using processes broadly aligned with standard tile workflows, allowing adoption without wholesale changes to installation practice.

While the material itself is central to the story, the company’s trajectory is equally defined by its move from research into industrial application. Founded by materials scientist Dr Aled Roberts, Dekiln has emerged from an academic and laboratory environment into a commercial phase supported by both funding and industry collaboration. Roberts was awarded the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Green Future Fellowship, securing £3 million in support for continued development and scale-up.

That transition is now being accelerated through a partnership with Johnson Tiles, one of the UK’s leading tile manufacturers. The collaboration is focused on scaling Dekiln’s technology for commercial interiors, combining the start-up’s low-carbon material innovation with Johnson Tiles’ manufacturing capability, technical expertise and established market reach.

“This marks an important milestone for Dekiln as we transition from the laboratory to industrial scale manufacturing,” says Dr Roberts. “Johnson Tiles’ technical expertise, market reach and sustainability focus makes them an ideal partner to support our ambition to scale-up and commercialise our technology.”

From Johnson Tiles’ perspective, the partnership reflects a broader shift within the ceramics industry towards alternative production methods that retain material familiarity while significantly reducing environmental impact. As Jason Bridges, Procurement Director at Johnson Tiles, notes, the Dekiln approach challenges conventional assumptions about what is required to achieve ceramic-like performance.

“Aled’s fresh thinking on solving the recycling of waste alongside removing the sintering process to create a product with all the performance and aesthetic qualities of traditional tiles without anywhere near the embodied carbon is a real game-changer,” he says. “It aligns perfectly with Johnson Tiles’ sustainable thinking.”

Alongside technical development, the two companies are also exploring the potential for a pilot or demonstration manufacturing facility in Stoke-on-Trent - a location deeply associated with Britain’s ceramic heritage. The symbolic value of situating a next-generation tile technology within the historic heartland of kiln-fired production is not lost on the partners, particularly as the industry reassesses the future of energy-intensive manufacturing.

Materiality has been central to House of EM's approach since the practice was established by former Michaelis Boyd directors Emma Bodie and Matthew Sanders. As discussed in our recent Surface Perspectives interview with the practice, their work is grounded in the careful selection of natural materials and a close reading of place. Those principles find clear expression in Skylark, the studio's first completed building – a new family home overlooking the River Teme in Shropshire.

Designed for James and Sam Charters and their young family, the 383m² house occupies a previously overgrown plateau with expansive views across the surrounding landscape. Rather than imposing itself on the site, the building has been carefully positioned to balance privacy, sunlight and long-distance vistas, while drawing on a restrained palette of brick, stone, timber, lime and concrete to establish a strong sense of permanence.

The house is organised around an F-shaped plan that creates a series of connected yet distinct living spaces. Solid elevations address the approach road, punctuated by carefully positioned openings, while the rear of the house opens towards terraces, gardens and the wider landscape. Internally, a sequence of interconnected family spaces is subtly defined through changes in level, bespoke joinery and an integrated fireplace rather than walls, allowing openness without sacrificing intimacy.

Throughout the project, material choices reinforce that architectural clarity. Externally, the house is wrapped in elongated light-grey Danish brick, selected following an extensive process of research, mock-ups and material testing. Castellated brick detailing, inspired by the masonry of Tate Modern, introduces depth, rhythm and changing shadow across the façades, giving the otherwise restrained form a distinctive surface character.

Inside, the palette becomes softer but equally tactile. Lime plaster walls sourced from neighbouring Herefordshire are paired with chestnut ceilings milled from local timber, while bespoke joinery integrates seamlessly with the architecture. Concrete floors provide visual continuity and thermal mass, allowing the materials themselves to define the character of the spaces.

Natural stone provides carefully judged moments of contrast throughout the interior. Deeply veined marble has been specified for the kitchen worktop and bathroom vanity, introducing richness and permanence against the otherwise muted palette of lime, timber and concrete. Rather than acting as decorative focal points, the stone surfaces sit comfortably within the wider material composition, reinforcing House of EM's preference for honest, enduring materials that improve with age.

The same attention to detail extends beyond finishes. Rectilinear forms are echoed throughout built-in furniture, shelving and seating, while large expanses of glazing frame views of the landscape and strengthen the relationship between interior and exterior. Even the castellated brickwork finds an echo internally within the dining banquette, creating subtle continuity between outside and in.

What’s more, environmental performance was considered alongside material expression from the outset. Air source heat pumps, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery and high levels of airtightness reduce operational energy demand, while exposed concrete floors act as thermal mass to moderate internal temperatures throughout the year. A green roof, extensive native planting and more than 2,000 bulbs further enhance biodiversity across the site.

For House of EM, the project demonstrates the value of designing through close collaboration with both client and context.

"Skylark allowed us to explore how architecture can be both ambitious and intimately connected to place," says Matthew Sanders. "Working closely with the clients enabled us to deliver a home that is bold, considered, and deeply rooted in context."

Emma Bodie adds: "Collaborating with James and Sam made the process seamless. The result is a home that feels modern, distinctive, and entirely in harmony with its surroundings."

Although Skylark marks the practice's first completed building under the House of EM name, it exhibits a confidence that reflects the founders' wider experience. Rather than relying on expressive form alone, the project draws much of its identity from the careful orchestration of materials. Brick establishes rhythm and permanence, timber introduces warmth, lime softens the interiors, concrete grounds the spaces, and marble provides moments of richness and refinement.

Together, they create a house that feels unmistakably contemporary while remaining firmly rooted in its Shropshire setting

Images © Richard Gaston

Following our coverage of House Porphyry, where stone, timber and carefully considered detailing combined to create a home rooted in material honesty, we spoke to London practice Mosley Thorold about the thinking that underpins its work. Founded by Nathaniel Mosley and Henry Thorold in 2017, the studio has developed a reputation for architecture that places craftsmanship, making and collaboration with specialist fabricators at the centre of the design process. Here, the practice reflects on why understanding how things are made continues to shape its approach, from bespoke furniture and lighting to architectural interventions at every scale.

Nathaniel

“For us, an understanding of the way things are made is integral to designing beautiful objects and spaces for living. Hands-on craftsmanship is not a style but a method that works. It begins with drawings as tools for thinking, models as working prototypes, and conversations with clients as central to design. We curate spaces for living by collaborating with makers, joiners, metalworkers and specialist fabricators who speak the language of their tools; be they traditional or contemporary.

Henry

Every material we use is carefully selected to express its character thoughtfully. This resonance is captured in how a material sheds water, responds to light or feels underfoot. Should a material resist the effect of time or embrace it?

The Counterbalance Pendant is an early example in a series of bespoke creations that embody this approach. What began with experiments in casting concrete in latex evolved into a complex project combining raw steel, turned brass and thin-shell concrete forms. In-house fabrication allowed for an intensive process of iteration and material refinement.

Scaling up, the Dalston Railways Cottages Bench sits in a garden of a residential project, exploring how form can soften a space. The curved concrete bench, created in collaboration with the contractor, used a diamond grinder fixed on a custom jig to create its precise shape. The jig was bolted down to the ground with the grinder hinged in the centre to create a physical compass that sculpted the surface of the cast concrete bench. This physical making process produced an object that respects its context and grows from its surroundings.

Similar values carry through to the Cruciform Shelving in the basement of St Mary’s Mews House. By finessing the detailing at a finer scale, we attempted to bring the materiality of the external Corten detailing to the interior. Every component was thoughtfully crafted, allowing the adjustable modular system to adapt to both variations in its physical context and its use over time. The Cruciform Shelving illustrates our ongoing study in low-tech sustainability; it is easy to assemble, resilient over time and entirely non-mass-produced.

The team values creating highly crafted spaces to match clients’ authentic way of living and personal brief. A bespoke dining table for conviviality, hosting, and conversation distils our design philosophy into a single domestic object. Its curved edge draws people together, creating a centrepiece inviting interaction. Pared back and almost archetypal, the table exemplifies how form and function are inseparable and best when shaped by hands.

In Clerkenwell Eyrie, we designed a CNC-cut plywood staircase that joins two levels with sculptural efficiency. Through fabrication and the logic of flat-pack furniture, it remains easy to assemble on site with minimal cutting required. It’s a great example of how we like to merge contemporary fabrication and technical nous to deliver a cost-effective design solution without losing the warmth of the hand. 

That commitment to technical precision and material resourcefulness continues in an upcoming residential project that uses boardmarked concrete externally. Timber boards have been selected and sandblasted to highlight the grain, ensuring the concrete cast against them will bring out the texture and relief in the final surface. The decision to cast the concrete in a single 4.5 metre high pour constitutes a refusal to let a technical challenge restrict design thinking. It requires bespoke formwork to support the concrete, including a steel column system that ensures the formwork can withstand the pressure of the pour without relying on the existing party wall.

We view our work as a quiet resistance to the culture of disposability; it is slow, precise and grounded. Each project is built on lasting relationships with materials, place and people. For us, architecture is less a product and more a process of making, reflecting the value of design elements built to last and enjoyed.”

Few natural materials have been as consistently adapted, refined and industrialised as cork. Harvested from the bark of the cork oak tree without felling the tree itself, it sits at a rare intersection between renewable resource and high-performance industrial material. At the centre of its continued evolution is Amorim Cork Solutions, the flooring and wall systems business of the Amorim Group, whose heritage in cork dates back to 1868.

With deep roots in Portugal’s cork industry and a long-standing commitment to working with natural materials, the company has developed a portfolio of flooring and surface systems that combine cork’s inherent properties with contemporary manufacturing technologies. Under the Wicanders brand, Amorim Cork Solutions has spent decades refining how cork can be used not only as a niche material, but as a mainstream surface solution for residential, commercial and public environments.

At its core, cork offers a combination of properties that is difficult to replicate synthetically. Its cellular structure contains millions of air-filled compartments, giving it natural elasticity, thermal insulation and acoustic absorption. In practice, this translates into flooring that is quieter underfoot, warmer to the touch and more forgiving in use than many conventional hard surfaces.

Cork flooring can reduce sound transmission by up to 67%, while also delivering consistent thermal comfort throughout the year. It is also naturally resilient, absorbing impact and returning to form, which contributes to both durability and walking comfort. These qualities have helped cork move beyond its traditional association with bottle stoppers into a broader architectural and interior design context.

Wicanders flooring systems are structured around this material foundation, but enhanced through layered construction and surface technologies. Collections such as Cork Inspire, Cork Essence and Cork Go are designed to respond to different building types and usage levels, from high-performance commercial interiors to domestic spaces where comfort is a priority.

Cork Inspire combines a rigid core with cork layers to improve dimensional stability and resistance to everyday humidity, while also reducing the product’s overall environmental footprint through material efficiency. Cork Essence focuses on design expression, using cork’s natural qualities as a base for more decorative, trend-led surfaces. Cork Go, meanwhile, is positioned for residential applications, offering a balance of affordability, comfort and ease of installation.

One of the defining aspects of Amorim’s approach is the integration of visual design technologies with natural cork. Through high-resolution digital printing and registered embossing (EIR), the company is able to replicate the appearance and surface texture of wood and stone with a high degree of realism. Collections such as Wood Natural, Wood Inspire and Stone Natural demonstrate this approach, combining familiar material aesthetics with cork’s underlying performance benefits.

This hybrid method allows designers to specify stone or timber visuals without the full environmental impact associated with quarrying or deforestation. In the case of Wood Natural, for example, no trees are felled in the production process, while Stone Natural delivers a mineral aesthetic with the thermal and acoustic advantages of cork beneath the surface.

Beyond flooring, Amorim Cork Solutions has expanded into wall coverings and interior surfacing systems. Cork Pure Floor & Wall extends the material into vertical applications, while Dekwall offers a range of cork-based wall finishes designed to introduce both visual texture and acoustic softness into interiors. The Burel Cork Wall capsule collection further explores material circularity, combining cork with burel wool, a traditional Portuguese textile, and incorporating industrial textile waste into the production process.

Across all product lines, cork remains the unifying material logic. Its performance is not limited to comfort alone, but extends to indoor air quality, environmental impact and lifecycle considerations. All products are tested against stringent chemical emissions standards, with compliance across more than 2,000 potential compounds, reflecting increasing demand for healthier interior environments.

From a sustainability perspective, cork’s role is particularly significant. It is harvested from living trees on a cyclical basis, allowing the bark to regenerate over time while maintaining forest ecosystems that support biodiversity and carbon capture. Amorim positions this not simply as a material advantage, but as a long-term environmental framework that underpins its entire production model.

Today, Amorim Cork Solutions’ products are used across a wide range of sectors, from residential housing and hospitality interiors to offices, libraries, museums and public buildings. The versatility of cork, both as a natural material and as a technologically enhanced surface system, has allowed it to move comfortably between architectural contexts that demand both performance and sensory quality.

While cork has a long industrial history, its current application through companies like Amorim reflects a broader shift in surface materials: towards systems that are quieter, more comfortable, lower impact and more closely aligned with natural cycles. 

As the reality of an ageing population starts to take effect here in the UK, designers are increasingly being asked to consider how their choices can be of assistance, not least in care homes. Grant Westfield Product and Marketing Director Elliott Fairlie discusses how Multipanel wall panels are being increasingly specified in care environments where speed of installation, hygiene and reduced disruption are critical. Drawing on the refurbishment of 46 en-suite wet rooms at Spring Grove Care Home in Hampstead, North London, he explains how the system is helping streamline bathroom upgrades in live care settings where continuity of care and resident wellbeing are paramount, while also offering the effect of natural materials through high-quality printing.

“Bathroom refurbishment in care homes is never simple in live environments. The challenge is not only to upgrade facilities, but to do so while protecting residents’ routines, maintaining hygiene standards and avoiding prolonged disruption to day-to-day care.

That was the situation at Spring Grove Care Home in Hampstead, where 46 en-suite wet rooms needed refurbishing in a setting where many residents are living with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. In this type of environment, consistency, familiarity and routine are particularly important, making lengthy bathroom closures and intrusive works difficult to manage.

Springdene needed a wall surface solution that would deliver on hygiene, durability, ease of maintenance and installation speed, while also creating bathrooms that looked modern and welcoming rather than clinical. Traditional tiling was ruled out early in the process because of the time, specialist trades and maintenance associated with tile and grout installations.

Instead, the group turned to our product, Multipanel, a grout-free, fully waterproof alternative to tiles, helping the project team complete each wet room in just 1.5 days from start to finish. For a live care home environment, that speed was central to the success of the refurbishment.

For care home operators, the benefits of faster installation extend beyond programme efficiency. Shorter refurbishment times mean rooms can return to use more quickly, residents experience less upheaval, and care teams have fewer operational pressures to manage during the works. At Spring Grove, the use of wall panels enabled bathrooms to be upgraded floor by floor in weeks rather than months, helping reduce disruption for both residents and staff.

One of the key advantages of wall panels in care home bathrooms is the elimination of grout. In wet rooms, grout lines can require regular cleaning and maintenance, and over time may become vulnerable to mould, grime or moisture-related issues. Multipanel’s smooth, grout-free surfaces are designed to be simple to clean and resistant to mould and moisture ingress, helping reduce the burden on maintenance and housekeeping teams.

This low-maintenance performance is especially important in care homes, where bathrooms must remain safe, hygienic and easy to manage over the long term. By reducing the need for ongoing repairs, deep cleaning and grout maintenance, wall panels can help staff spend less time managing the building fabric and more time focused on resident care.

The Spring Grove project also shows that practical performance does not have to come at the expense of design. Springdene wanted to move away from the institutional look often associated with healthcare bathrooms and create spaces that felt calm, contemporary and comfortable. The panels helped achieve a brighter, more hotel-style finish while retaining the hygiene and durability required in a care setting, supporting a shift away from purely clinical aesthetics.

Accessibility was another important consideration. The refurbished wet rooms needed to support residents with a range of mobility and cognitive needs. At Spring Grove, Multipanel wall panels were combined with slip-resistant vinyl wet room flooring to create level-access, easy-to-navigate bathrooms. The design meets Lifetime Homes and accessibility standards, supporting long-term safety and usability for residents who may require additional assistance.

For specifiers, developers and care home operators, Spring Grove demonstrates how wall panels can support both practical and design-led refurbishment goals. Multipanel wall panels are described as being up to five times quicker to install than traditional tiles, while also offering a 30-year warranty, FSC certification and EPD credentials. This makes them relevant not only for care homes, but also for retirement living, supported housing and other independent living environments where speed, compliance, maintenance and sustainability all matter.

As pressure continues across the care sector, refurbishment solutions that minimise disruption while improving quality of life are increasingly valuable. Bathrooms must be safe and accessible, but they also need to feel comfortable, dignified and easy to use. The Spring Grove project is proof that you don’t have to compromise on aesthetics or performance to gain speed. Our approach allows specifiers to deliver contemporary, durable bathrooms that work for everyone — residents, staff and operators alike.”

As we’ve been reporting, there is a growing body of work that seeks to rethink waste not as a by-product to be hidden, but as the beginning of an entirely new material language. Few emerging designers have explored that idea with as much geological curiosity as Luxembourg-based Studio Jules Péan, whose New Rocks collection transforms industrial dust and local sediments into furniture and sculptural objects that appear closer to quarried stone than manufactured composites.

While the collection has attracted attention through recent appearances at Milan Design Week, Paris Design Week and Dutch Design Week, as well as recognition at the Luxembourg Design Awards and MaterialDistrict, the exhibitions are ultimately secondary to the material research itself. The work is less concerned with producing a new aesthetic than with questioning how materials acquire value, permanence and emotional resonance.

At the heart of New Rocks is a deceptively simple proposition: what if industrial waste could be treated as geological matter rather than refuse?

Working with recycled industrial dust alongside locally sourced stone sediments, hempcrete and mycelium, Péan has developed a slow casting process that allows these finely graded materials to consolidate into dense, stone-like forms. The resulting objects retain subtle evidence of their origins, with mineral inclusions, tonal variation and layered textures recalling naturally occurring rock rather than conventional manufactured surfaces.

The process deliberately resists industrial efficiency; instead of disguising imperfections or striving for uniformity, each piece is allowed to develop its own surface character, embracing irregularity as an intrinsic quality of the material. In doing so, the work echoes geological processes that unfold over time, compressing ideas of sedimentation, pressure and transformation into contemporary design objects.

The latest iteration of the research, New Rocks – Columns, extends this thinking into modular furniture. Composed of stacked cylindrical elements, the pieces possess an architectural quality that references both classical stone construction and naturally weathered rock formations. Their monolithic appearance contrasts with the knowledge that they originate not from quarrying but from reclaimed industrial by-products.

This tension between perception and provenance sits at the centre of Péan's practice. Although the finished objects read as carved or cast stone, their value lies equally in the narrative embedded within the material itself. Waste becomes structure; dust becomes mass.

That approach reflects a broader shift within contemporary material research, where designers are increasingly seeking alternatives to virgin resources by reimagining industrial side streams. Rather than attempting to imitate natural stone directly, however, New Rocks establishes its own material identity and one that borrows the visual and tactile qualities of geology while remaining honest about its manufactured origins.

Few people understand the relationship between material, craft and time quite like a stone sculptor. In this Insights piece, Zoë Wilson draws on her experience as a sculptor and historic stone carver to reflect on the enduring qualities of British stone, the importance of traditional craftsmanship and why working slowly with natural materials continues to offer valuable lessons for both contemporary design and the wider built environment.

What does a typical day look like for you?

No two days are ever quite the same, which is one of the things I love about being a sculptor. If I’m in the studio, my day is usually spent carving by hand using a mallet and chisel. I work almost exclusively with British stone, and because each piece takes weeks or months to complete, much of my time is spent slowly developing intricate geometric patterns directly into the surface.

Alongside the making, there is the less visible side of running a creative business. I spend time drawing new designs, photographing work, talking to collectors, planning exhibitions, teaching stone carving workshops and sharing the process through social media. Research also plays a significant role in my practice. I am continually studying geometry, pattern and historic carving traditions to develop new ideas.

How integral are materials and surfaces to your day-to-day?

Materials are at the heart of everything I do. I spend most days handling stone, studying its character and responding to the individual qualities of each block before I begin carving.

Working with British stone holds a particular significance for me. There is something deeply meaningful about using materials that come from the landscapes I am part of. Each piece carries a sense of place, history and continuity, and I feel a strong connection to the generations of craftspeople who have worked with these same materials before me. It also allows me to support local quarries and celebrate the diversity of stone found across the UK.

Although my finished sculptures often appear highly precise, I never want the natural beauty of the stone to disappear. The geology, colour, fossil content and texture all influence the finished piece, and I often find that unexpected details emerge along the way, like lovely surprises that contribute to the final work without being planned.

I also spend a great deal of time talking about stone with collectors, architects, designers and students. I enjoy helping people understand that stone is far more than a construction material. It is a remarkable medium with an extraordinary history, permanence and beauty that can connect people to both landscape and craftsmanship.

What are the biggest lessons you have taken forward from your original training? 

My route into sculpture has been quite varied. I originally studied Fine Art, specialising in painting, before training as a stonemason, then as a letter carver, and later completing a First Class Diploma in Historic Stone Carving at the City & Guilds of London Art School.

Each stage has shaped the way I work today. Fine Art taught me to think conceptually and to value composition, rhythm and visual balance. Stonemasonry gave me a deep respect for accuracy, materials and craftsmanship, lettercarving taught me chisel skills, while historic carving taught me patience and the importance of understanding traditional techniques before pushing them in new directions.

One of the greatest lessons was learning that precision and creativity are not opposites. Technical skill gives me the freedom to realise increasingly ambitious ideas.

Which projects are you most proud of being involved with and why?

There are several projects that have been particularly significant.

Working on the restoration of historic buildings, including the Houses of Parliament and St George’s Chapel, Windsor, gave me an enormous appreciation for the generations of craftspeople who have worked in stone before us. It was a privilege to contribute, even in a small way, to preserving that heritage.

Within my own artistic practice, I am particularly proud of a sculpture called Orbis. It represents a significant step forward in my exploration of geometry, where the carved pattern and the form of the sculpture become inseparable. It feels like the culmination of many years of research while also opening the door to an entirely new direction for my work.

What do you feel are the main challenges facing the stone and surfaces industry today?

One of the biggest challenges is helping people recognise the long-term value of natural stone. Initial cost often dominates decision-making, yet stone can last for centuries with relatively little maintenance, making it one of the most enduring building materials available.

There is also an important conversation around skills. Traditional stone carving and stonemasonry require years of training, and it is vital that opportunities continue to exist for young craftspeople to enter the profession. Without investment in those skills, we risk losing knowledge that has been passed down over generations.

Finally, I think there is an opportunity to broaden people’s perception of what stone can be. Alongside architecture and construction, there is enormous potential for contemporary artists and designers to continue pushing the material in exciting new directions.

In your opinion, what are the positives of using stone in the built environment?

Stone offers something very few modern materials can match. It combines durability, longevity and timeless beauty while ageing with dignity.

It also creates a strong connection to place. Every type of stone reflects the geology and history of the landscape from which it came, giving buildings a sense of identity that manufactured materials often cannot achieve. It is sympathetic to its surrounding environment and feels completely natural within it.

From a sensory perspective, stone brings warmth, texture and permanence. It encourages people to slow down and engage with a building through touch as well as sight. In an increasingly fast-moving world, I think that sense of permanence has become even more valuable.

How does sustainability shape your thinking and decision-making, and how do materials fit into this?

Sustainability is central to my practice. Since 2019, I have worked exclusively with British stone, reducing transportation while supporting local quarries and celebrating the incredible range of materials available within the UK.

I also work almost entirely by hand, using only a mallet and chisel for my carving. This keeps energy consumption extremely low compared with many manufacturing processes and means each sculpture is created through time, skill and craftsmanship rather than heavy machinery. Working at this slower pace also means I spend a great deal of time on each individual piece of stone, rather than consuming large volumes of material, which naturally reduces waste and encourages a more considered use of resources.

Perhaps most importantly, I hope to make work that lasts. Stone has survived for thousands of years, and I like the idea that the sculptures I make today may still be appreciated by future generations. Creating objects with that longevity feels like one of the most sustainable approaches we can take.

Natural stone and richly detailed interior finishes play a central role in the repositioning of The Harewood, a boutique workplace by MoreySmith that reimagines an existing commercial building for today's West End office market.

Completed for J.P. Morgan Asset Management following its acquisition of the property in 2024, the 26,000ft² refurbishment transforms the former 2 Harewood Place into contemporary office accommodation while retaining the existing structure. Rather than replacing the building, the project focuses on upgrading and extending its working life, preserving embodied carbon while responding to growing demand for premium, sustainability-conscious workplaces in Mayfair.

For MoreySmith, the commission also marked a return to familiar territory. The practice had previously refurbished the building in 2010, and the latest intervention builds on that earlier work to reposition the address more firmly within Mayfair's evolving commercial landscape.

"Taking a building on the edge of Oxford Street and repositioning it as a Mayfair address is exactly the kind of challenge we relish," says founder Linda Morey-Burrows. "The strength of MoreySmith's architectural and creative team, combined with the residential sensibility of Studio Morey, has allowed us to create something genuinely distinctive."

While the architectural intervention remains deliberately restrained, materiality is used to reshape first impressions and elevate the experience of arrival. A soot-washed façade announces the building's renewed identity at street level before giving way to a marble-lined entrance portal that establishes a more tactile and refined character. Inside, stone continues to anchor the reception, where marble flooring is paired with a high-gloss burr walnut reception desk, deep green mosaic surfaces within the lift lobby, timber panelling, brass detailing and carefully considered lighting.

The palette draws on the language of high-end residential and hospitality interiors rather than conventional speculative office design, reflecting the increasing convergence of workplace and lifestyle environments.

Upper floors continue this approach through the introduction of a new marketing lounge and refurbished shared amenities, alongside upgraded office accommodation designed to appeal to occupiers seeking premium space in one of London's most competitive office locations.

For J.P. Morgan Asset Management, the refurbishment balances commercial ambition with a more sustainable approach to development. "Acquiring The Harewood gave us the opportunity to reintroduce a distinctive boutique asset into one of London's most in-demand office markets," says Charlie Garai of J.P. Morgan Asset Management. "The refurbishment has been executed with commercial intent, and we're confident it will attract tenants who value quality and location in equal measure."

Rather than pursuing wholesale redevelopment, the project demonstrates how careful refurbishment can deliver both environmental and commercial benefits. Retaining the existing structure reduces embodied carbon while allowing investment to focus on the quality of the spaces occupants experience most directly.

That strategy is reinforced through a material palette selected for longevity as much as appearance. Stone provides permanence and visual weight within the entrance sequence, while timber, brass and mosaic finishes introduce warmth and texture that soften the building's commercial character without compromising durability.

Jordan Adair of RX London believes that approach reflects a broader shift within the office market. "MoreySmith bring far more than design expertise to projects like this," he says. "The team has a deep understanding of the commercial property market and how occupiers respond to space, ensuring the design is fully aligned with leasing strategy and long-term value. Their sustainability-led approach — retaining and upgrading what's already there while delivering a genuinely high-end product — adds real commercial credibility."

Rather than relying on dramatic architectural gestures, The Harewood demonstrates how the considered specification of enduring materials can redefine an existing building. Through the use of natural stone, timber and finely crafted interior finishes, MoreySmith has created a workplace that feels rooted in its Mayfair setting while responding to changing expectations of quality, longevity and experience within the contemporary office market.

Images © Peter Landers

While Wimbledon may be drawing to a close, the latest racket-and-ball-based craze has steadily been steering attention away from tennis and onto a whole new form of indoor activity. As the UK finally catches up with the rest of Europe in realising padel’s credentials, new infrastructure is being rapidly built to keep up with demand.

That’s good news for surface brands such as engineered timber surfaces supplier Havwoods, who have been specified throughout SMASH. Designed by THG Studios, this new immersive padel venue in Manchester acts as a hybrid environment for sport, content creation and live events.

The project brings together high-performance gameplay and production-led spatial design within a single interior, with timber playing a key role in balancing durability, acoustics and visual warmth. Havwoods’ Azur flooring from the PurePlank collection forms a consistent base throughout the venue, selected for its light tone and reflective quality to help counter the enclosed nature of the space and enhance the sense of openness.

Elsewhere, Fresato Oak veneer has been used to define key feature elements including the SMASH feature wall and Slazenger ball plinth. The profiled surface introduces texture and shadow, adding depth to vertical planes that shift subtly under changing light conditions. In more functional areas, Hushwood Natural Oak has been specified for the equipment display and sports recovery bar, where its acoustic properties help moderate sound levels generated by filming, events and gameplay.

Paul Moody, Global Digital & Marketing Director at Havwoods, says the project demonstrates how timber is being used beyond purely aesthetic applications.

"Projects such as SMASH demonstrate how timber can contribute far beyond aesthetics," he says. "Whether through flooring, textured wall surfaces or acoustic applications, wood helps introduce warmth, improve comfort and create a stronger connection between people and the spaces they use."

The SMASH project follows a period of broader activity for Havwoods, including this year’s Clerkenwell Design Week, where the company collaborated with Italian furniture brand True Design in its London showroom. The basement space was reconfigured as part of a three-day installation exploring the relationship between furniture, flooring and wall surfaces. The presentation ran throughout the festival and brought together a range of timber applications, from joinery and wall cladding to flooring systems, with an emphasis on material continuity across interior environments.

Alongside its project work, Havwoods has also introduced its latest WoodBook, a curated overview of recent product developments, collections and design applications that reflects the scale of its expanding portfolio. The publication includes updates across both the Henley and Venture Plank ranges, as well as the introduction of Patterna, a new collection that reinterprets end-grain timber as a series of geometric, customisable surface patterns including Chevron, Grid, Sailboat and Ladder.

Manufactured from responsibly sourced timber, Patterna exposes the densest part of the wood through cross-cut sections, combining durability with a distinctive visual texture. New colourways across the Henley range are also introduced, inspired by traditional timber vessels used in the storage and transport of liquids, while Venture Plank has been extended with a wider family of walnut products across multiple formats and laying patterns.

Havwoods also continues to expand its bespoke laser-cutting service, allowing designers to develop highly customised timber surfaces that integrate multiple species and complex geometric layouts across flooring, wall and joinery applications.

Good news for circularity fans! Low Carbon Industrial has introduced Stelapop to the UK architecture and design market, bringing a circular sheet material manufactured from reclaimed post-industrial denim to architects, interior designers and specifiers.

Developed in partnership with Saitex, one of the world's largest denim manufacturers, Stelapop transforms unavoidable textile waste generated during the production of jeans into a durable interior surface material. While Saitex has spent decades redesigning its manufacturing processes around circularity, cutting and finishing fabric inevitably produces offcuts, and a small proportion of garments fail quality control and cannot be repaired. Rather than entering the waste stream, this material is reprocessed into architectural panels.

Each 5mm-thick sheet comprises 70% reclaimed denim, combined with a water-based binder and natural rubber before being finished with a matte protective lacquer. According to the companies, a single panel incorporates around 14kg of textile waste, equivalent to approximately 35 pairs of jeans diverted from landfill.

For Low Carbon Industrial, the launch reflects a broader focus on materials whose value is defined as much by their provenance and manufacture as by their appearance.

"The core of our design philosophy has always been that materials are defined by how they are made and what they are made from," says Conor Taylor of Low Carbon Industrial. "Few materials embody this more than Stelapop, made from unavoidable post-industrial denim waste, and we're delighted to bring it to British architects and designers for the first time."

Although derived from textile waste, the panels offer a distinctive visual quality. The reclaimed fibres create subtle variations in tone and texture that shift under changing light, producing a surface with an unexpectedly mineral-like character despite its textile origins. Stelapop is available in six colourways ranging from pale blue-grey through to near black.

Designed for interior applications, the material can be cut, drilled and routed using conventional woodworking equipment, while scoring the reverse of the panel allows it to be gently curved. Potential applications include wall linings, interior cladding, shelving, furniture and bespoke joinery, as well as the manufacture of smaller domestic objects such as trays and homewares.

What’s more, circularity also extends beyond manufacture, for rather than being discarded at the end of its service life, Stelapop panels are intended to be repaired and reused wherever possible, with remanufacture into new panels viewed as a final option once further reuse is no longer practical.

The launch reflects continued interest across the architectural materials sector in finding productive uses for industrial by-products that might otherwise become waste. Products such as Stelapop demonstrate how waste streams from other manufacturing industries are increasingly being reimagined as specification-grade surface materials, broadening the palette available to designers seeking lower-impact interior finishes.