From new materials to 3D printing to smart home technology, products that make homes more efficient, healthy and personalized are the future of design.
We sat down with Jasmine Jaco, cofounder of CUR8, a wholesale marketplace showcasing the best of what’s next in furniture and décor, to discuss the innovations that are impacting the future of home design. “Our objective is to make more people aware and more purposeful in the products they invest and support,” she says.
Jasmine Jaco, cofounder of CUR8.
Dallas Market Center: Sustainability has become an important consideration for consumers today. Share some of innovations you’ve seen in sustainable materials.
Jasmine Jaco: There is so much happening in the materials space. There is a focus on radical recycling that goes beyond fair trade or craft goods. For example, plastic bottles turned into textiles, such as throws from In2Green, or children’s furniture and décor made of recycled plastic toys from Ecobirdy.
We are also seeing strides in biofabrication. Innovations such as high-performance spider silk grown from spider DNA, or materials made from mushroom mycelium and algae, have the potential to change the way we source materials.
How can these advances impact the home furnishings industry?
Jasmine Jaco: These materials have a positive impact on the environment—mushroom mycelium is biodegradable and uses less water than organic cotton.
It’s also an opportunity for companies to help countries where there are no recycling capabilities. Thread International turns trash into materials in countries such as Haiti. This company not only collects plastic for its fabrics, but also turns what was previously waste into dignified job opportunities in these communities.
Material innovations are also an educational opportunity. Ecobirdy educates children on circular design, letting them see the impact their old toys can have on new products when recycled.
Ecobirdy recycles discarded plastic toys into children’s furniture and décor.
We hear so much about 3D printing these days. What impact is that having on the home industry and how has it evolved?
Jasmine Jaco: As print capability and materials continue to improve, 3D printing is ready to explode. We’ve moved well beyond the plastic toy in beautiful and design-savvy ways.
3D printing allows for infinitely customizable, real-time production that can’t be achieved in other manufacturing methods. Designers can support their clients’ needs and offer their own unique designs. There are already companies that can 3D print your products, and as the technology becomes more affordable and simple, the average user will be able to 3D print their own.
‘Smart Home’ is a buzzword we hear so often. What does it mean and how is it evolving?
Jasmine Jaco: Everything is becoming connected. We’re in the Internet of Things (IOT) and our connectivity is no longer limited to electronics and gadgets. IOT is making its way into all of our materials. There isn’t a category that isn’t getting smart, and soon we’ll be able to interact with our environments without gadgets in some pretty interesting ways.
We’re already seeing products like this. Carlo Ratti Associati’s LiftBit modular sofa can change configuration with the wave of your hand. The Nanoleaf Modular Smart Lighting System allows you to change light sequences via voice control and soon will be touch control-enabled as well. There’s so much more on the horizon. Companies are working on countertops that allow for wireless phone charging or electroluminescent paint that will light up with a touch. There are even rumblings of a paint that can change color.
Smart home technology has the potential to change the way we think about our materials and products. The opportunities we’ll have to personalize private and public spaces are endless.
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The Nanoleaf Modular Smart Lighting System allows you to change light sequences via voice control.
CUR8 is founded on the principles of meaningful innovation and purposeful consumption–supporting emerging designers and established brands who are rethinking design to make a difference. The company brings breakthrough products, insightful content and leading-edge technology together in a thoughtfully curated collection.