We’re all about the weird and wonderful here at Tile Addict, in fact we’ve got a whole section dedicated to the fantastical things the creatives of the world do with tile. But there are some items far beyond the reach of the aesthetic that deserve praise all on their own for pioneering change in the building industry. So we’ve gathered seven incredible creations that mark the change in design, making way for a future of sustainability and creativity.
1. Totomoxtle
This was one of those rare finds that is so incredibly exciting that we couldn’t share it with our readers fast enough. Not only are the surfaces brilliantly beautiful and stunningly unique, the story behind their creation and the reason for their existence is wondefully pure. By reintroducing heritage species of corn into the small Mexican village of Tonahuixtla, designer Fernando Laposse offers a way out for locals caught in the seed-buying cycle of hybrid crops, and provides an additional stream of income in the manufacture of corn-husk surfaces named Totomoxtle. Find out more about the project and fantastic story here.
2. Dust
With homeware made out of tea, Dust London is one of the most quintessentially British materials in this list. After gathering the waste product and sorting it into type, the tea is mixed with a non-toxic binder in order to create these curiously angled vases and pots. Read more about the company here.
3. Cork tiles by Havwoods
Cork is a wonderfully environmentally friendly material that isn’t utilised enough in interior design and building. Last year we found Havwoods, a company specialising in wooden floors, cladding, and joinery, who also had a whole section dedicated to their cork surfaces. All kinds of textures and designs can be found, from angular 3D tiles, to rough natural and organic options. Check out more of their cork range here.
4. bioLITH
This fantastic self-building brick by bioMASON is a truly exciting creation. By growing this material with the help of bacteria, they have created the building blocks for a future that doesn’t emit greenhouse gases and one without a large-scale use of non-renewables. Read more about the project here.
5. Chip[s]Board
Rowan Minkley and Rob Nicoll take the skins of potatoes and transform them into various materials. Chip[s]Board is created using a mixture of fibres from a range of organic materials such as bamboo and beer hops, and a potato skin binding agent. The process is similar to creating MDF and the result has already been used in the manufacture of such as eyewear and buttons. Read more about Chips[s]Board here.
6. Seaweed
German designer Julia Lohmann created a fantastic installation to be presented at the World Economic Forum in Davos to demonstrate seaweed’s design potential. To create this weirdly wonderful seaweed pod ‘Hidaka Ohmu’ the seaweed is treated and stretched in a way similar to leather. Find out more about the installation and Lohmann’s Department of Seaweed here.
7. Loofah bricks
These Green Charcoal bricks are made out of soil and organic luffa fibres (from loofahs), as well as cement and charcoal. They are extremely lightweight due to the hundreds of air pockets created by the luffa fibres, with these gaps also working to make the bricks aroun 20 times more porous than traditional concrete. In warm climates the holes can help reduce the temperature of the bricks by acting as tiny water tanks. These bricks not only work as an ecofriendly building alternative, but the small amounts of charcoal used in their products helps to absorb nitrates, pollutants, and impurities, purifying the air. Find out more about these awesome bricks here.
A new post by Hanna Simpson, Diary of a Tile Addict, October 2020.