The Design Fold

In today’s environmentally conscious design world, consumers and designers alike are aiming for a fine balance between modern clean lines and natural elements. It is within this harmony where rugged and earthy materials such as wooden elements, are used beautifully and sustainably alongside smooth concrete and other modern materials.

My dream home would walk this fine line proudly and there is no shortage of architects and designers who are glady filling their portfolio of work with eco-sensitive designs, pushed by the demands of a savvy and environmentally wise client base.

This focus on including natural elements within our homes, see’s a return to a time when we relied on mother nature to provide us with the materials for our home. Now with technology and talented designers on our side, we are able to relish the ability to mesh our modern design aesthetics with the cabin dwelling wood lover within us all!

Here is my pick of some of the fabulous designs out there offering us the best of both worlds.

Image courtesy of Moco Loco

Image courtesy of Inspire

Image courtesy of Freshome

Image courtesy of Euro Heat

Image courtesy of Elite Homes

Image courtesy of Apartment Therapy

Recently I found myself lured into the scent haven of an Aesop store in Melbourne’s Flinders Lane. I was lured not only because of the ethereal and Australian scents hovering outside their door, but because of the surprisingly fresh take on interiors to be found within.

Upon entering I witnessed what I hoped to be the future of retail design within Australia. The store is created from hundreds of uniformly lined up rows of industrial grade cardboard boxes that snuggly hold Aesop products. The opposing wall compromises of the same cardboard thickly stacked to create a wall of rough texture which beckons the touch.

Designed by Melbourne interior architects Rodney Eggleston and Anne-Laure Cavigneux of March Studios, the store is yet another respectable addition to the reputable Aesop brands stores, whose aim is to celebrate the location of the store, rather then provide a predictable and cookie cutter approach to their interiors. 

The approach Aesop has to their retail interiors leaves customer like myself departing their store with product in hand and a soft smile on my face. A response like this to a product is priceless within the retail industry today, and I hope other retailers are listening. If you give customers a fresh and enveloping experience, something the world of internet retail is lacking, they will return for more.

Images courtesy of Cool Hunter.

Till next time,

Love Pats xx