7 Innovative Home Decor Items With Sustainable Origins

Observe the emergence of sustainable developments in plant-based materials, carbon-negative surfaces and 3D-printing of waste plastics.

Go Green With These Resourceful Yet Stylish Products

Saga Pendant System With Diffusers By In Common With

Saga modular pendant system with low-waste aluminum hardware and diffusers made of lightweight recycled LDPE plastic by In Common With.

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Anga Panels by Alexandre Alimi and Valentine d’Harcourt

Anga panels made of plastic waste, such as delivery-pallet shrink-wrap and single-use water bottles, by Alexandre Alimi and Valentine d’Harcourt. 

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Quetzal Paint by Alkemis Paint

Quetzal velvet-matte all-natural paint made to order with artist-quality mineral pigments and clear quartz by Alkemis Paint.

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Natura and Treelore Wall Panels by Weitzner

Natura and Treelore wall panels handmade of mullbery fibers by Weitzner.

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Double U Fruit Bowl by Cyrc

Double U fruit bowl 3D-printed on demand of recycled plastic in Burnt Sienna by Cyrc.

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Bolster Chair by Model No.

Bolster chair 3D-printed on demand of biodegradable resins upcycled from plant waste by Model No.  

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Concrete Bookshelf by Tosco Studio

Handmade, low-waste concrete bookshelf marbled with natural pigments by Tosco Studio. 

6 Furniture Pieces Revolutionizing Interior Spaces

Transform spaces with these dynamic furniture options that help clients customize interiors to fit their needs.

Check Out These Pieces Featuring Bold Geometric Forms

Boulevard 90 ̊ Curve Bench by Hightower

Boulevard 90 ̊ Curve bench with soaped-oak table by Hightower.

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Powder Coated-Steel Planter With Rails by Most Modest by Lightcorp

Jesse Hill’s Silas powder coated–steel planter/storage bin on casters, with integrated rails to accommodate standard-size hanging folders, by Most Modest by LightCorp.

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Dayton Occasional Tables With Surfaces By Plural Studios

David Allan Pesso’s Dayton occasional tables available in the manufacturer’s standard material palette of solid surfaces, wood veneers, and laminates, by Plural Studios.

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Ralik Modular Seating System by Arper

Ichiro Iwasaki’s Ralik modular seating system by Arper.

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RUT Sectional With Modules by Scandinavian Spaces

Thomas Bernstrand & Stefan Borselius’s RUT sectional, with modules that lock onto a steel H-beam in any direction, by Blå Station, through Scandinavian Spaces.

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Buddyhub Desk System With Wraparound Panels by Pedrali

Busetti Garuti Redaelli’s Buddyhub desk system with sound-absorbing wraparound panels by Pedrali. 

8 Vibrant Products Infusing Spaces With Rainbow Magic

Add a splash of whimsy to interiors with colorful products such as a conical green marble and brass doorknob and donut glazed ceramic tiles.

Elevate Rooms With These Colorful Products

Varia, Chroma + Glass Materials in Curry, Clay, and Nectar by 3form

Curry, Clay, and Nectar, new colors for the manufacturer’s Varia, Chroma, and glass materials, by 3form.

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Chromablock Resin Sconce in Dirty Martini by Wood Melbourne

Chromablock resin sconce in Dirty Martini by Wood Melbourne. 

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FP5 Sink Faucet in Pink by Kallista

One FP5 sink faucet handles in pink and polished nickel by Kallista.

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Medicine Cabinet in Forest by Josh Greene Design

Sutro painted-timber medicine cabinet in Forest by Josh Greene Design. 

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Ceramic Table Lamp In Candy Corn by Streicher Goods

Spectrum Gradient ceramic table lamp in Candy Corn by Streicher Goods.

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Marble and Brass Doorknob in Green by Emtek

Conical green marble and brass doorknob by Emtek. 

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Donut Glazed Ceramic Tiles By Gorbon + Yellowdot

Studio Yellowdot’s Donut glazed ceramic tiles by Gorbon.

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Arcobaleno Multilaminar Wood Veneer By Alpi + Konstantin Grcic

Konstantin Grcic’s Arcobaleno decorative multilaminar wood veneer by Alpi. 

Whipsaw Takes Industrial Design to New Heights With These Smart-Home Products

“You have to get into the head of the consumer,” Harden says in reference to the success of his products, some of which are in “Milestones of Contemporary Design” at the Red Dot Museum in Essen, Germany, til spring 2023.

New Research Reveals What Matters Most to Dealer Designers

In our 2018 article, “The Rise of the Dealer Designer,” ThinkLab explored the evolving role that the dealer designer plays in the project process. We reconnected with one of our interviewees, Alexandra Tseffos, founder of Silent T Consulting and The Design POP, to see what has changed since then. At the time, Tseffos identified four shifts in the traditional dealership: 

1. Technology
2. The focus shifting to service instead of just product
3. The need to position designers who have a variety of skills (there are more production-style designers than presenting designers)
4. Increased importance of the relationship between design and sales: Salespeople are responsible for relationship building, but they need the designer’s knowledge of product, cost-saving measures, and the visual output to keep up with the growing expectations of today’s customer. 

Tseffos says that these four shifts still hold true. The biggest change? Acceleration. “The technology shifts we were expecting to see in five to ten years ended up happening in three to five years,” she explains. “The changes that were underway then are already happening now, only accelerated.” She noted that, when we spoke to her four years ago, there was not an expectation of the current landscape of mergers and acquisitions that has created “forced shifts” in certain categories. Tseffos cited technology as a great example of this in cases of dealer alignment changes: “Many need to learn one or more new software platforms and the intricacies of countless new product lines as fast as humanly possible.”

Since that 2018 interview, ThinkLab has been researching the role of the dealer designer, digging into their preferences and pain points. What we know from recent ThinkLab research:

• Where they are: As of 2021, nearly half of dealer designers reported living outside of a commutable distance to the office.

• Where it hurts: In the chart below, the “heat map” indicates where and how much “pain” dealer designers experience in a typical furniture bid and purchase process. The deeper the red in the gradient, the more pain was reported. Compared to other members of the ecosystem (A&D, end users, and real estate), dealer designers experienced the most pain with the most frequency throughout the process. “Their pain is a lot about communication. They are trying to manage a lot of players with competing priorities: what the designer wants (look), what the client wants (price), and what the dealer salesperson wants (aligned product),” shared Erica Waayenberg, lead researcher at ThinkLab.

*In the chart above, the heat map indicates the amount of “pain” dealer designers experience throughout the project process.

In ThinkLab’s latest hackathon survey, we asked more than 850 designers from all corners of the ecosystem about their preferred balance of digital and human during the product specification process. (Learn more about how hackathons work here.) The respondents were a mix of architects and designers (A&D) at firms, end user designers, and dealer designers. While there were key similarities across the board, what’s important to the dealer designer from a brand is markedly different. 

Here are the three key things dealer designers want from brands:

1. Dealer designers prefer brands that enable them to self-serve on demand with digital tools. It’s worth noting that this was twice as important to this audience than to any other category of specifier surveyed. Dealer designers are the most likely to identify as “fast followers” (not the first to try something new, but not the last either). Yet they are the most inclined to want to self-serve digitally, something you might assume was most important to an early adopter (the first to use a new way).

• They are eager to learn new technologies that will make their job easier, even if it initially takes more time to learn them. They are the most likely to specify products from new brands that they discover on digital aggregators, such as Material Bank, My Resource Library, etc. When narrowing down product options, they were the most likely to say they prefer to self-serve digitally, while all other members of the ecosystem most preferred to talk to a specialist within the brand. 

• They believe they can be served by a remote team of people from a brand as well as they are by a local rep. But when they do want to speak with a human, the dealer designer wants to interact with their rep early on, when they are gathering general knowledge to do their job, not information specific to the project. 

When asked why they would rather work with a local rep, these were their four main reasons:

1. A single point of contact
2. Better service and response
3. Personal connection and trust
4. Deep knowledge of the nuances of my market

What this means for you as a brand connecting with a dealer designer audience:

1. Prioritize self-serve digital tools in these areas especially: pricing, lead times, and sample requests. Dealer designers wanted to self-serve these items more than any other segment. Make sure you are present on the aggregators they frequent most.
2. Equip them with a team of people from your brand. Even though the digital tools and resources are most valued and embraced by this segment, when they do need help, they are comfortable being served by a team of experts — especially if it gets them a faster or more accurate response. As Tseffos says, “Digital access to the product information alone isn’t enough. Cross-functional training on the sales and design process, product specification, and the technology involved is critical for success.”
3. Upskill the local representatives to provide value up front in the “general awareness to do my job” phase. This means leading them to the available digital resources and keeping them up to speed on industry trends and best practices. When it comes to product, focus on strategy, and not just features and benefits. Understand the nuances of their local market and share those back internally, so the team of people who are serving them remotely are also speaking the same language. 

Are you interested in finding out more about the hackathon research results and how to apply them to your business? Visit ThinkLab’s Design Hackathon page to get involved. 

Meredith Campbell is a member of the Research & Content Development team for ThinkLab, the research division of SANDOW Design Group. At ThinkLab, we combine SANDOW Media’s incredible reach to the architecture and design community through brands like Interior Design Media, Metropolis, Luxe, and Material Bank with proven market research techniques to uncover relevant trends and opportunities for the design industry. Join in to explore what’s next at thinklab.design/join-in.

10 Show-Stopping Best of Year Product Winners

In case you haven’t heard… submissions are open for Interior Design‘s Best of Year Awards—the design industry’s premiere design awards program honoring work by designers, architects, and manufacturers around the globe. Be sure to submit your top products and projects by September 7, 2022, or sooner! Early bird pricing ends August 12. In case you’re looking for a bit of inspiration, we compiled 10 product winners from last year.

Transition Carpet Collection by Ege Carpets

Winner for Modular Carpet

WireLine by Flos

Winner for Chandelier

OutLand by Ralph Pucci

Winner for Residential Occasional Tables

Big Talk by Blå Station thru Scandinavian Spaces

Winner for Contract Lounge Seating

Shibui by Paola Lenti thru West | Out East

Winner for Outdoor Seating

Garden District by Artistic Tile

Winner for Materials

Levels by Hightower

Winner for Contract Bench + Stool

Hortensia by Moooi

Winner for Residential Lounge Seating

Decors and Panoramiques by Arte

Winner for Fabric Wall Covering

Designtex Crypton Pure by Crypton & Designtex

Winner for Healthcare Textiles

Interested in submitting products or projects for this year’s Best of Year Awards? Get submission details here.

A Closer Look at Rich Mnisi’s Whimsical Creations