July Newsletter for Interior Designers
Benholm Group
Plant and floral creations enhancing lives, spaces and events throughout the UK since 1993.
Welcome to the July edition of our 2024 monthly LinkedIn newsletter.
Every month we compile the latest the latest trends, opinion pieces and relevant industry news for busy interior designers.
We hope you'll find our newsletter interesting and inspiring. We'd love to hear your thoughts on the content we've shared, as well as what you'd like to see from us in future issues.
Got an interesting story of your own to share? Get in touch at mail@benholm.com.
NEWS + OPINION
More Than Meets the Eye: Multisensory Nature In The Workplace
Beyond visual aesthetics, workplace experiences can be altered by unpleasant sensory stimuli. Designers leverage biophilia to create richer, more restorative environments by understanding how our senses interact.
Ode to Joy: 3 Steps Architects Can Take To Make Buildings Less Boring
The word “boring” is powerful and often viewed as negative, especially within any creative field, including architecture. No architect would ever want to hear, ‘Well done, you made a very boring building.’
The Workplace Sets Sail
The cruising industry is rebounding post-pandemic and aiming to surpass pre-pandemic passenger numbers in 2024 with personalized, all-inclusive experiences. This trend mirrors workplace changes, with companies redesigning offices to compete with remote work by prioritizing user experience, diverse workspaces, and sustainability.
The Y2K Aesthetic: How (+ Why) Early 2000s Style Is Returning To Our Spaces
A key feature of early 2000s décor was the marriage of ’70s nostalgia with retrofuturism — a creative trend inspired by older portrayals of the future. While futuristic optimism is the source of this trend, nostalgia is truly the driving force here. In 2024, our longing for a shiny, bright and hopeful tomorrow is ever-present once again.
PRODUCTS, FURNITURE + FITTINGS
Benholm-Approved: Summer Product Launches
At Benholm Group, we offer a variety of unique planters from Europe's top manufacturers that complement both live and artificial plants. Our rental, purchase, and maintenance options are tailored to fit your client's space, style, and budget.
Take A Step Towards Circularity With These Products
Discover 10 products that make use of recycled, recyclable, or renewable materials or are designed for reuse, disassembly, and repair.
8 Delicately Crafted Products & Homeware Made From Glass
Glass is a popular choice for designers due to its resistance to heat, water, and sunlight. Advancements in manufacturing techniques have allowed for unique textures, shapes, and patterns in glass products of various scales. This selection includes clear and coloured glass items, as well as transparent and translucent pieces.
Office Soundproofing For Sanity & Productivity
Every design problem has a creative solution, like the open office layout. However, it comes with design issues, including intrusive sound levels. But what about soundproofing?
TRENDS + INSPIRATION
David Altrath Captures Sweeping Curves & Verdant Oasis Of COBE's Opera Park
David Altrath captures the tranquil, verdant Opera Park in Copenhagen, showcasing sweeping curves and expansive green spaces for recreation and relaxation.
Plants Vs Concrete: A World Of Eco-Brutalism Unfolds Inside New Photography Book
The Brutalist Plants book by Olivia Broome offers a captivating exploration of the fusion between brutalist architecture and lush vegetation. The monograph showcases over 150 evocative images by diverse photographers, capturing the juxtaposition of austere concrete structures and vibrant flora.
Retreat Village
Nestled within the verdant expanse of Grun Resorts Uluwatu, Retreat Village by Stilt Studios represents a sanctuary dedicated to wellness and serenity. Designed to offer a secluded haven for individuals and groups alike, this project creates a tranquil environment conducive to personal growth, relaxation, reflection, and rejuvenation.
CNS Office / Studio Avocado
The design attempted to unify nature with the built environment. By asking the question, ‘Why cannot one design nature along with the spaces we require? ' The project aims to establish the importance and benefits of incorporating soft scapes into a design.
MAD Architects' Biomorphic Installation In Japan Gently Bubbles Out From House
Integrated into a century-old house in Murono Village, Japan, this organically-shaped structure gently bubbles out from the traditional wooden structure, mimicking the lightness and translucence of breathing air.
HEALTH, WELLBEING + BIOPHILIA
Verdant Green Store Introduces Nature-Infused Shopping Experience In Tokyo
The project integrates external scenery, using colours to blur boundaries between interior and exterior, deriving meaning from the relationship with surroundings to surpass nature vs. artificiality.
Reimagining The Travel Experience With Biophilia In Singapore's Changi Airport
BOIFFILS Architectures has transformed Terminal 2 at Singapore’s Changi Airport into a serene, nature-infused space, revolutionizing airport design. Spanning 120,000 square meters over three levels, this five-year project prioritizes passenger comfort and aesthetic pleasure, a rare feature in most airports today.
How Healthy Workspaces Drive Productivity & Profit
Beyond aesthetics, the design of our workplaces directly impacts our health. Studies reveal a clear link between poor light quality and limited access to natural views with increased sick leave. Workplaces can either support wellbeing or be a detriment to it. Conscious office design can blend aspects of health in spaces to cultivate physical, mental, and social wellbeing.
Houseplant Neo Px Can Purify Indoor Air Pollution With Bioengineered Microbiome
Introducing Neo Px, Neoplants' houseplant designed to purify indoor air pollution, including VOCs, with a Bioengineered Microbiome for air pollutant capture and recycling in your home.
LIGHTING
7 Lighting Designs With Unexpected Details
This collection from Interior Design magazine features lamps, sconces, and pendants that are a little left of centre.
Instant Ambience: These Miniforms Luminaries Conjure Up Indoor Moonlight
Rificolona, designed by Florence-based studio E-ggs for Miniforms, features an extended orb shape emitting a captivating yellowish glow, inspired by the moon's textured appearance.
Modern Lights For Workspaces That Balance Aesthetic Desires With Technical Needs
LED luminaries steal the spotlight with reimagined track lighting, balancing aesthetic desires and technical needs while increasing energy efficiency and using recycled materials innovatively.
Swappable Rocks + Leaves Customise Your Own Nature-Inspired Lamp
Thomas Takada's Grandpa's Lamp features natural elements essential to its function, encouraging owners to find their own rocks and leaves for a deeper connection with nature.
SUSTAINABILITY
Sustainable Spaces: Inside and Out
In today’s eco-conscious world, a company’s commitment to sustainability extends beyond interior walls. Designing outdoor spaces thoughtfully can help achieve sustainability goals and foster environmental stewardship for employee well-being and the local ecosystem.
We Can't Pretend That Aesthetics Are Not Important To Sustainability
In architecture, aesthetics, cultural norms, technology, and preferences are intertwined. Industry experts are re-evaluating traditional approaches to minimize environmental impact while creating visually appealing spaces amidst the urgency to address climate change.
A Diseased Elm Inspired - Then Became - A Singular Design. What Can It Teach About Sustainability?
The timber from a diseased elm was the starting point for Joseph Walsh Studio to design a serpentine bench defying forms typically found in wooden furniture.
Recycled Materials Cover Half Of Energy-Efficient Asian Bistro By Locus In Mexico City
Architecture studio Locus unveils Makan, an Asian bistro in Mexico City that prioritizes sustainability as it is built with 50% recycled materials. National white oak wood clads the restaurant, emphasizing the natural element while promoting responsible resource management and supporting local industry...
MATERIALS, TEXTURES + COLOURS
Linehouse Defines Shanghai Office With "Unexpected Combinations Of Materials"
Interior design studio Linehouse has renovated an office in Shanghai using numerous materials and art from a local gallery. Linehouse refurbished the ground floor of a 3-storey building in Shanghai that The Independents global marketing group have occupied in Shanghai for numerous years.
9 Ways Architects Are Using Sunny Shades To Subvert Design Expectations
Historically, yellow hasn’t been prominent in architecture; however, architects in this day and age are shaking up expectations, and the golden colour is now having its moment in design. This vibrant hue, associated with happiness, energy and creativity, is popping up in some of the most eye-catching projects worldwide.
Inside Masquespacio's Vibrant Haven In The Valencia Countryside
3 miles from Valencia's city centre, Masquespacio's home, studio, and workshop, led by Ana Hernández and Christophe Penasse, serve as a creative hub. Their award-winning firm focuses on interiors and has projects globally. They also introduced Mas Creations, an experimental product division, four years ago, using their home base for testing...
4 Colour Trends That Are Good For The Brain
New research into neuroscience suggests that colour affects our psyche, emotions, and bodies. Here are four colour-ways to shape moods and memories.
This newsletter was lovingly curated by Nikita at Benholm.
The next edition of our newsletter is due out in August 2024. If you have any articles that you would like to submit please email: mail@benholm.com