The Material Hunt
Design trends are forever changing and we’re always trying to keep up. Sometimes, it’s fun to add a fresh touch to our designs, and at others, it can be challenging to tastefully incorporate something new in a space. Either way, discovering unusual materials and finding ways to use them, keeps us on our toes.
Not too long ago, we chanced upon Skineer, an incredible product by SK International that we fell in love with. They are these paper-thin sheets of natural Slate stone with fibreglass backing that come in two sizes - 8’ x 4’ and 4’ x 2’. Being a natural stone composite, every sheet is unique, and yet it has qualities that the stone never had. They are extremely light, flexible, and available in intense, earthy colours and patterns. There are translucent options available, and all of them reflect the beauty of the real stone. Being extremely robust, they can be used as a surface finish on walls or floors, indoors or outdoors, dry or wet areas. It is easy to cut them into sizes to create any pattern on feature walls, ceilings and even furniture; and gracefully integrate it into any aesthetic while creating a soothing and unpretentious vibe.
In Sriracha, Indiranagar we used Skineer to clad the walls, the ceiling and the sliding door in the robata grill enclosure. To add an element of interest to an otherwise dull space, foot-wide strips of random grain patterns were placed alongside one another, creating an illusion of a continuous wall, when the sliding door is shut. The greyish-brown tones of the strips complemented the rest of the interior scheme and blended unassumingly into the backdrop of the robata grill, not drawing any needless attention to itself. For Just Law, on the other hand, Skineer was used on a partition in the reception, prominently in everyone’s view. Fixing the sheets on a curved partition proved to be a challenge, but we were thrilled with the seamless and stunning results.
It’s a rush we find hard not to chase. Designers and clients alike are fascinated by the ever-expanding ambit of material palettes in the market. They could be either legitimately new or old materials given a new avatar. Regardless, we gravitate towards innovation and novelty like a swarm of bees. PureSpaces is always scouting for the debut of latest products in their design dreamlands (more about these another time). It is always exciting to work with our new finds that add an extra zing to our work.
How do we keep our material palette fresh and trending? It’s a Friday ritual at the PureSpaces HQ to have vendors over to show us an array of materials. It’s most definitely a day well spent curating and adding materials to our existing catalogues.