More than ever, today's generation are more visually enticed. Never before has there been so much social media presentations. An Ofcom study in 2014 revealed that on the average, a person spends nine hours with a PC or laptop -- this is more compared to what he/she usually spends sleeping. With an era that gives more pleasure to the eyes, scent and touch have been neglected.
The digital overload has not taken over the raw materials trend in Australia. With raw, we mean those materials that are weathered, handworked, rough, and irregular. Raw also pertains to those that have elements that can engage the senses beyond the visuals only, such as textured stones, raw wood materials, and patinated brass.
The raw trend started commercially in 2010. Aesop, an Australian cosmetics company, ignited the idea. Its global stores featured different raw materials like aged stone basins, reclaimed wood shelving, industrial metal displays, and handmade tables. The Michelin Dabbous restaurant in London also participated in the change with minimal lighting, metal-mesh panels, and concrete floors.
Recently, numerous restaurants have chosen to forget formal, polished interiors. Fashion brands also are welcoming the change. Owen, a New York boutique, features a wall designed with lunch bags made out of brown paper. It has created a honeycomb effect amidst colorful fashionable frames.
Home interiors are also becoming rough, especially on the edges. Retrovirus and London architectural salvage now works on interiors highlighting these elements. Maria Speake of Retrovirus shared that people, more than ever, are now up for having the more organic and raw style. These home interiors trend has come to represent the well-travelled, affluent, and cosmopolitan population. It was never about sophistication and rustic taste, it was more of achieving a handmade, simple theme.
Do you prefer the organic, unpolished and raw theme over the more polished and sleek designs that have hit the past decade or so? Share your thoughts with us!
