Jason Platten, Head of Design at UK hotel bedroom furniture supplier Curtis Furniture, gives a manufacturer’s perspective on delivering sustainable hotel interiors.
Perhaps once more of a political or CSR trend, sustainability is now a necessity, with certain design trends in particular facilitating its incorporation into luxury hotel interiors. Rustic, minimalist Scandinavian and industrial aesthetics lend themselves especially to the use of sustainable materials such as reclaimed wood for furniture, flooring or shelving, jute for rugs, and recycled metal for suspended ceiling features and room dividers.
Specifying sustainable materials for the luxury interiors of hotels may seem like a contradiction but, in reality, they can complement each other beautifully.
Looking At Longevity
A concern with sustainability has spilled over into the hotel furniture industry, with a significant increase in the use of both recycled and sustainable materials on recent projects. Hotel designs themselves are often becoming ‘greener’, with interiors inspired by the natural world, crafted to bring the outside in.
This push comes from a number of sources, including contractors and clients, but arguably the most influential are architects and interior designers, who carefully consider their selection of materials, from recycling and re-use capabilities, to potential for longevity.
Organic Design Narratives
Take the new Treehouse Hotel Manchester, for instance. Located within a Brutalist concrete structure, interiors takes organic design to a whole new level. With the use of waney edge timber tops, reclaimed and mixed-use timber cabinets, Norwegian spruce shelving and genuine tree branches running floor to ceiling, interior designers have been inspired by the natural world.
Curtis‘ FSC accreditation is an enormous advantage for clients looking to meet high environmental standards. In recent years, there has been an increased demand for sustainably sourced materials within the hotel industry. Contractors, architects and hoteliers are more conscious of where their materials come from, and they are specifying green materials from the start.
Green Engineering
Curtis Furniture has a long history of supplying well-engineered products in its hotel bedroom furniture from start to finish. During the design process, we also ensure that we are achieving optimal usage from raw materials in an effort to reduce waste – any off-cuts that are too small to use get chipped up and collected for either recycling into fresh materials or agricultural use by local farmers.
With guests spending so much time in their rooms, products must stand the test of time. Many of Curtis’ clients have been returning for over a decade, providing testimony to the longevity of its furniture. Meanwhile, while 80% of Curtis Furniture’s products are timber-based (using a chip board core produced from recycled materials), we also embrace the use of other materials like cork and bamboo, where specified.
Sustainability and luxury do not have to be mutually exclusive. By incorporating sustainable materials into luxury interior design projects, designers can create beautiful, high-end spaces that are both stylish and environmentally responsible.
