The textile and surface design project THE WOODS was generated out of the previous design project JOURNEY HIGHLIGHTS. The foregoing project was started with thoughts about travelling, exploring the world and experiences from journeys. As a result the first sketchbook was filled with various hand drawn sights of the world and different modes of transportation like busses, airplanes and hot-air balloons. The passion for travelling was connected to a concern about how long all the impressive natural sites of the world will exist and would be visitable. JOURNEY HIGHLIGHTS compared and highlighted the opposites of man-made, polluting objects and sustainable, natural materials. It showed the contrasts of the enthusiastic exploring idea of journeys on the one hand, and the worries about polluting the environment through travelling with various machines on the other hand. THE WOODS reunites the subjects for patterns and the used materials. Like in JOURNEY HIGHLIGHTS only plant fibres are used but the range of materials is expanded. The colour palette is still inspired by man-made elements but technically developed by the exclusive use of plant dyes. All patterns and designs of the collection THE WOODS are based on floral objects, trees and various textures from the forest. The sketchbooks for this project contain drawings of forest sights, enlarged textures, wood, walking paths and abstracted plants. These depictions are used to create digitally printed cottons, naturally dyed and screen printed organic cotton cloth, hand- and mechanically-woven fabrics and laser-cut-designs.

Personal concerns and the accompanying dissertation SUSTAINABLE TEXTILES IN THE 20th AND 21st CENTURY triggered a lot of research about future consumer trends and sustainable production chains. The expanding awareness of customers and designers about supply chains, recycling and consume in the Western world caused that most new yarns and all screen printing cloths for this project were bought from fair trade- and eco-certified suppliers. Some of the threads were produced by screen printing and cutting old cotton-type bed linen. To create skin friendly, allergy-free and very soft textures only plant fibres like cotton, linen, jute, banana, soya and bamboo were used. These materials also affect the room climate positively. Cotton, for example, has a cool feel, high moisture absorption, a very low electrostatic charge and also a very low soiling tendency. Vegetable fibres are also immune to moth damage and therefore very suitable for interior products. The techniques like digital printing are also chosen because of the low production of waste and water pollution. Leftovers from plant dyeing rot and also for the laser-cut and engraved tiles no synthetic colours were needed. In spite of everything, some chemicals are necessary for mordanting and modifying the plant dyed fabrics.

The hand-woven samples are inspired by the stripes of Bedouin and Scandinavian rug designs like Jack Lenor Larson’s work. These techniques were joined with the textured surface of forest tracks and the thought of stringing together various tactile experiences. The straight draft of the warp allowed the usage of various weaves and different weft-fibres caused an interesting drape of the fabrics for the interior market. Self-spun bamboo and soya fibres in different thicknesses granted a wide range of additional textures. Experiments with patterned weft-materials like recycled cotton and laser-cut bamboo sticks induce new structures and product opportunities.

The uniting colour palette is influenced by natural materials like raw cotton, wood, cork and yellow blossoms. Chilly greyish blues are added to adapt a clean and timeless impression. Dark greys and black complete the colour palette for this project. The combination of creamy whites, cosy yellow shades, cold greys and blues reminds of signal colours in nature, warning signs and road surfaces made by humans. The resulting tones were also a consequence of the always slightly deviating plant colorants. For achieving satisfying colour brightness and a high similarity to the digital printed colours, organic cotton cloth and various cotton yarns are premordanted with Tannic Acid and aluminium for two days. To produce printed and woven textiles in the same colour palette, yarns and printing cloth are dyed with Goldenrod, Dyer’s Green Weed, Oak bark, Heather and Indigo. Iron and Decroline are used to darken and brighten the plant shades and to screen print without synthetic colours. Experiments with various bleach and iron solutions were made to create reproducible print effects. Overall the palette creates a natural, elegant and timeless atmosphere.

The excellent quality of the raw materials and thoughtful processes guarantee the quality of fabrics for the high-end interior sector. All textiles of the collection THE WOODS are suitable for people susceptible to allergies, families with children and overall for consumers with a high awareness of sustainability, human-friendliness and natural products. The hand-woven textiles have a heavy drape and a very soft touch. They are ideal for blankets, upholstery, wall coverings or rugs. The lighter cottons of the collection could be used for curtains, bed linen, table cloth and tea towels. As an addition to the fabric collection, abstract and floral patterns and placement designs were cut and engraved to wood, cork, tiles and bamboo sticks. To create architectural concepts, lighting, coverings, interior products and wood-woven surfaces these could be combined with plain or patterned fabrics. The various outcomes of the collection are desirable to connect indoor with outdoor spaces like it was done in the Luxurious Adventure Hotel Ion. The designs could be used for products for the interior brands Hay, Noble& Wood, Heal’s or the new hand-crafted special edition collection of Ikea. This project was displayed at New Designers London 2016.