The team at Graphenstone encourage designers to re-consider the process by which you specify paint for your projects. It’s more important than ever to consider both the environment and human health when it comes to making responsible design decisions for clients and end-users. So how can your decisions on paint make an impact?
Most paint brands focus your attention on one overriding priority - colour. No one doubts that this is a very important element to deliver on both design and mood. But let’s be honest, these days all the recognised brands have a fantastic range of colours, regardless of the fancy names and the marketing spiel.
In this time of overwhelming need for ecological change, we need to consider characteristics of the paint, well beyond just colour. We should seek information to evaluate:
These crucial factors can no longer be ignored or simply brushed over!
180,000 tonnes of plastic micro-beads are reportedly washed into rivers and oceans from the paints industry annually, six times the volume of micro-plastics emitted by the cosmetics industry - where they’re already banned. A day of reckoning awaits the paints industry, and you can help lead the charge.
The microscopic pieces of plastic now pour down globally in 'plastic rain', seeping widely into agriculture and our precious food chain, and according to the journal 'Environmental Intentional', in late 2020, even into the foetuses of unborn babies.
Indoor Air Quality in areas where high VOC paints are applied can be highly detrimental to the health of inhabitants, as toxic chemicals off-gas into the space, for years after application. 30 tonnes of toxic waste according to the WHO is produced for every ton of paint manufactured. And the chemical blend cannot break down at end of life, turning into plastic dust and spreading far and wide. These are just a very few examples on the long list of egregious risks and damage from a paints industry, which continues largely unchecked.
Check out the report 'The Hidden Costs of a Plastic Planet' here from CIEL.
It’s time to change, 'Beyond Colour'.
Usually, you won’t see any declaration of ingredients. Neither will you find any trusted alternative to the declared list, such as a recognised ‘harm-free’ product evaluation certification, from the likes of Cradle to Cradle Institute, or Eurofins. These all require a careful and detailed inspection of all the contents, conducted on behalf of the consumer as solid verification of an ecological, or genuinely sustainable claim. So, all the usual paint additives could still be present, from solvents, de-foamers, driers, preservatives, additives, heavy metals and other harmful chemicals.
With 'estimates of nearly 55% of raw material used by paint companies being crude oil derivatives', the impact ecologically on our planet and the damage caused is becoming more widely known and repudiated.
"Paints, lacquers, and varnishes are among the chemical everyday products that have a particularly distinct effect on environment and health (chemicals in conventional paints can include glycols, toluene, and xylene).
Acrylic paints typically include a range of biocides to protect the latex, which can include arsenic disulphide, phenol, copper. Just because a paint says it has low VOCs does not mean it does not give off hazardous vapours." - Architectural Digest Australia/Daniel Wurm, Greenpainters.
Mineral based paint systems are all automatically water based, since they don’t require solvents, using water as the base.
So don’t be misled by the apparent innocence of the "Water Based" paints label. It can disguise a toxic mix of polluting oil and plastic based ingredients, both highly damaging in production and no less toxic at point of use!
About Graphenstone
Graphenstone is the brainchild of a chemical engineer Antonio León Jiménez who dedicated himself to the idea of developing a natural, ecological and health conscious coating for the 21st century. Since the production of their initial range of paints and coatings, they have continued to work diligently creating ever more healthy and sustainable coatings for all manner of buildings.
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Designing for Sustainable Interiors: How Can Interior Design Industry Address Climate Change?
The latest panel discussion in collaboration with Grohe, hosted by SBID CEO Vanessa Brady, addressed key considerations for effectively designing interiors with sustainability and climate change in mind.
The built environment accounts for 40 per cent of the UK’s carbon emissions in 2019, according to the UK Green Building Council. Awareness over the environmental impacts of the construction, architecture and interior design industries is growing, as concerns over climate change and the sustainability of our cities, societies and lifestyles continue to rise. As a result, more clients and interior designers are seeking to incorporate sustainable principles into the design of their interiors.
The panel discussion explored the role interior designers and product manufacturers play in improving the impact of the industry and driving sustainable developments. From material selections and FF&E specification, to carbon neutral manufacturing, minimising waste and optimising energy efficiency.
Karl Lennon | Leader for Projects at Grohe
Karl has over 15 years of experience in the specification of architectural products in the international arena, acting as a project consultant on projects worldwide. Working with Architects and Interior Designers, Karl supports projects in all sectors with a strong consideration of the sustainable impact of the products supplied. Now working for GROHE for 5 years, he offers support to leading A&D firms working on many award-winning projects. He is also the author of GROHE’s RIBA Approved CPDs on Water Saving, Hygiene, and 3D Printing.
Pia Pelkonen | Creative Director at Pia Design
Following a degree in interior architecture Pia gained experience across a variety of projects as a designer and project manager at leading design studios in London before establishing Pia Design. Everything that Pia Design does has the future of our home planet at its heart and Pia and her team actively champion more sustainable ways to remodel. They reuse, repurpose and refurbish before replacing, working with the belief that longevity is the best form of sustainability and that by taking inspiration from nature, they are able to create spaces that improve with age - interiors with a green soul.
Cecilia Halling | Creative Director at Elicyon
Cecilia Halling is the Creative Director of Elicyon, with over 10 years’ experience in luxury interior design. Originally from Sweden, Cecilia specialises in highly bespoke residential interiors that are tailored to ensure each project is innovative and unique. She leads the vision for a 30 strong team, delivering projects all over the world.
Cover image credits: Interior design by LIA Design.
Architectural and interior designer, antiques dealer and furniture designer Rose Uniacke is pleased to present Rose Uniacke Paint, a debut paint collection that was launched this month.
Taking Rose Uniacke’s renowned fabric collection as inspiration, the range comprises 14 colours that offer a refined backdrop to the timeless decorative style that the designer is celebrated for. The debut paint range will be 100% natural and chemical-free and is suited to both traditional and modern interiors.
An effortless versatility underpins the palette of carefully considered neutral colours which range from the gently green-hued ‘Apple Mint’ to the softly pink-toned ‘Bloom’. Made using the highest quality natural and sustainable materials, the ecologically accountable paint range offers exceptional performance, durability and coverage while being preservative and plastic-free.
“I have long mixed my own bespoke paints for the projects I design and so it made sense to share some of these colours. I wanted to do this in an environmentally conscious way, and so creating a range that’s 100% natural and chemical-free was a priority from the outset.” says Rose Uniacke.
After a long search for the perfect partner, Rose Uniacke chose Norfolk-based Graphenstone to develop the range of 100% natural and chemical-free paints.
A world-class innovator when it comes to sustainability, Graphenstone paints contain Graphene, a nontoxic pure carbon that is the strongest material known to science. Packaged using 100% recycled materials, the natural mineral base paints require some dilution before use, helping to reduce the CO2 emissions by not transporting water around the world.
The range is available in three finishes suited to both internal and external applications. Grafclean and Grafclean Midsheen are composed of vegetable resins and ecological materials, while half of the range is available in Ecosphere, a paint based on pure lime which helps purify the air by absorbing CO2. So pure is the Ecosphere paint that 15L will absorb nearly 5.0kg of CO2.
“It was an absolute must that we developed our debut paint collection in partnership with a brand which has the environment at its core” added Uniacke.
Rose Uniacke Paints are sold exclusively in the new Rose Uniacke Fabric Shop at 103 Pimlico Road, SW1, and online.
About Rose Uniacke
Rose Uniacke is an interior designer, a designer of furniture and lighting – for individual clients as well as for her shop - and a dealer in both antiques and pieces by other, usually well known, designers.
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In a particularly turbulent world (enduring an ongoing pandemic) where there is so much uncertainty, striving for wellbeing in our daily lives is all the more important. Our homes now act as a substitute for offices, gyms, entertainment centres and sanctuaries to name but a few of their additional uses. As we’re spending significantly greater time in them overall, it is clear they need to work harder than ever to meet our demands, suit our needs and ease our minds. The question is - can biophilic design really help? Peter Oudejans, director of leading biophilic design studio, Oudejans Interiors shares key insights on the benefits of integrating concepts of biophilia into our interior environments.
Biophilia, simply stated, is the human connection to nature that assists us in attaining wellness in our lives. Have you ever noticed how calm and uplifted you can feel when walking in the woods, strolling along the beach or simply sitting in a park? That’s the ‘Biophilia’ effect. In rural settings, this connection can be more obvious, but as more of us live in densely populated, urban environments, this connection is slowly being lost. That does not mean however, that we are unable to embrace nature’s beauty at home. There are numerous ways to live more meaningful, holistic lives and in practice this is about re-establishing links with nature to create healthy environments for life and work.
“It is the simple core truth that humans need a connection to nature to be content”, according to Sally Coulthard, author of the book Biophilia. It is the notion that humans need to feel connected to their natural environment not only to survive, but also to thrive.
Research undertaken over the past few decades has shown that biophilic design can improve cognitive function, physical health, and psychological well-being with benefits that include:
According to architect Claudia Bonollo of Monamour Natural Design, “our mood and our capacity for communication are influenced by a combination of physical, mental and sensory factors. Therefore, an environment that involves all the senses makes us happier and more receptive,” she says.
Oliver Heath Design, has found that the inclusion of Biophilia to the design process can increase productivity by 8% and rates of wellbeing by up to 13% in an office environment. In healthcare settings, pain medication was shown to be reduced by 22% and in the education setting, rates of learning can be increased by 20-25% where biophilic designs have been incorporated.
And finally, Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing weighs in with “I shall never forget the rapture of fever patients over a bunch of bright-coloured flowers… People say the effect is only on the mind. It is no such thing. The effect is on the body too.”
With regard to interior design, Biophilia is considered more of a lifestyle than a design trend. It can be applied across the entire spectrum of interior styles from contemporary to classic and has a place in all areas of interior design, be it in a residential or commercial setting. Eco design and green architecture are very closely related concepts with a focus on environmentally-friendly design practices that are good for people and planet, just as Biophilia is focused on the wellbeing of humans through their connection to the natural world.
Biophilic design has three key threads that together make a space biophilic:
1. Being in a space that has a direct, physical contact with nature; 2. Being in a space that reminds you of nature through the use of natural items; 3. Being in a space that connects to natural rhythms and outside spaces.
There are numerous key elements of biophilic design which include incorporating a few or all of the following:
Take the example of firelight and candle light, which have slowly decreased in domestic settings as the use of heating (central and otherwise) and of course, electric light, now almost completely dominate in the modern home. Yet the ‘red’ light that emanates from firelight and candlelight plays an important trigger in the body’s preparation for rest and relaxation, making us feel calm and cosy.
In a study by the anthropologist Christopher Lynn, he measured people’s blood pressure and how sociable they felt after watching a log fire on a screen. One group watched with sound, the others no sound. The results found that those that watched with no sound showed little benefit, but those that experienced the audio and visual effects of the fire, had significantly reduced blood pressure, felt more mindful and focused on the present and were increasingly communicative and sociable. [1]
Including such a simple yet multi-sensory element such as a fireplace within the home can make a significant difference to the wellbeing of the individual. Just imagine the other benefits and sensations a real fire provides, such as the soothing radiant heat and comforting wood scent. And this is just one simple addition in the whole armament that nature and Biophilia can provide.
Biophilia is still deemed to be in its infancy within the interior design profession, despite being based on one of the most fundamental connections humans have with their environment. But with the current focus very much on the recovery, both physically and mentally, from a global pandemic, never has there been a better time or more crucial need to draw upon the healing powers of nature to improve our wellbeing.
Interior designer's approaches to home design should now be looking to design sustainably with nature at its core for the creation healthy, happy homes that are better for people and the planet. After all, it truly is all about creating nature-inspired spaces to support our health and wellbeing.
References:
[1] Lynn C.D. The Psychophysiology of Fireside Relaxation. American Journal of Human Biology 25 (2013). 265-265
Projects photographed are undertaken by Oudejans Interiors Ltd. All photos are credited to photographer Glenn MacKay.
About
As a leading biophilic design studio, Oudejans Interiors feels it is vital to live more sustainably, in an increasingly connected manner to the natural world. Their motivation for designing spaces is to consciously straddle the line between nature and interior architecture. From creating a living wall to redecorating with natural hues, incorporating biophilia into living spaces is an effective way to restoratively transform them, whilst boosting body and mind.
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SBID Accredited Designer, Portview strive to positively contribute to the creation of legacy-defining spaces that work for people, businesses, communities, owners, and investors. Sustainability is an extension of this and has been driving real change across the construction industry over the last decade. The next ten years will undoubtedly see this ramp up even further as the industry aims to reduce emissions, future-proof projects and slow the rate of climate change.
To reach the ambitious targets set out by The Paris Agreement and the UK Government's goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, the way construction and fit-out projects operate is going to have to evolve.
"While governments and clients have a central role to play, construction companies and specialists have the opportunity to lead this process," says ProZero Environmental and Quality Manager, Lisa Trainor. "As interior fit-out specialists, we can integrate sustainability into our approach while ensuring quality, budget control and delivery."
Here are some of the lessons that Lisa and the rest of the Portview team have learnt about making the construction industry more sustainable:
Companies of all shapes and sizes want to create sustainable buildings, but the planning and execution involved can be complicated and time intensive. Reaching a BREEAM excellent or outstanding rating relies on implementing sustainable working practices at every stage of a project. This includes resource efficiency, waste management and using the right building materials and techniques, but it also means effectively engaging all stakeholders. By setting out sustainability goals at the start of the process and maintaining an ongoing dialogue, we can ensure clients, architects, and contractors can consider sustainability at every stage. This includes things that can often get overlooked, such as sourcing low VOC products or using electric rather than diesel-fuelled forklifts onsite.
It feels like the whole world has taken a crash-course in sustainability over the last decade, and we have seen a considerable leap in expertise among our industry and clients just within the last five years. There is still a lot of progress to make, and continuing to build in-house capability is critical.
"Clients and investors are increasingly knowledgeable about BREEAM, LEED or WELL. However, they still need practical knowledge and insights into making these goals a reality," says Lisa. "While expert consultants will always have a role to play, having in-house expertise is increasingly emerging as a key differentiator for clients. They want specialists that can provide value throughout the process, from sourcing materials to issuing commissioning certificates and providing aftercare."
Sustainability is often still seen as a tick-box, regulatory exercise by many in the construction and fit-out world. And while it is undoubtedly the case that the prospect of increasingly heavy financial penalties is a significant motivating factor, we are finding that a growing number of clients are taking a more positive view. Achieving a BREEAM 'outstanding' rating requires additional cost, such as paying to conduct thermographic surveys or making sure that all materials are fully recyclable. But the long-term benefits are likely to be significant in terms of reduced utility costs, future-proofed businesses, increased tenant demand and increased wellbeing for employees and communities. Again, engaging stakeholders early is often critical in elevating sustainability from a regulatory requirement to an exciting opportunity.
The practical challenges of transitioning to a low-carbon economy touch every part of modern life, from the way we heat our homes to the lacquers and glues we use to finish a fit-out. Sustainable design has become a niche market over the last decade, but it will only become more important and mainstream. Companies in the construction and fit-out space also need to start holding their own operations to the same standards their projects are judged by. For example, we've pledged to use only low-VOC paints and reduce our carbon footprint by 30% by 2030.
"This is not only an essential part of making sure we practise what we preach," says Lisa, "it will also help us to attract and retain talent from younger generations who may not currently see the construction and fit-out sector as a potential career choice."
Choosing the right materials and construction techniques is an integral part of sustainable design and creating local systems that support wellbeing and the environment. On the one hand, this means considering such factors as sun orientation, implementing high-efficiency electrical, plumbing and HVAC systems, as well as using more renewable energy. But it's also important to be aware of the broader local environment in which our buildings exist. This includes design choices such as using trees, plants, and grasses native to the area or installing stormwater management strategies.
Buildings also play a role in our social systems. A commercial building's average lifespan is 25-30 years, which presents some challenges for sustainable design. Either these buildings must be made with completely recyclable materials so that they can be cleanly dismantled, or the initial designs need to be flexible enough to accommodate future changes of use. The UK government is encouraging the latter through the introduction of Class E permitted development rights.
There are many other ways that projects can be more sustainable that are unique to their local contexts. For example, we have developed several closed-loop solutions that reduce waste and benefit the local community.
We are part of recycling schemes for Correx, Plasterboard and Armstrong Ceiling tiles. Used materials are collected from our sites and re-manufactured; reducing raw materials, carbon waste and skip space.
We donate waste wood from our projects to a local college's carpentry department within our local community, providing a new use for materials that would otherwise be destined for landfill. We also work with The Turnaround Project, who have created a workshop out of the wood we've donated. We've also recently partnered with Tools for Solidarity – who take our old tools, refurbish them and send them to Tasmania and Malawi.
Developing these solutions not only helps to reduce the impact of every job we complete, but it helps to strengthen community relationships, allowing us to lead the sustainability conversation from the front.
Part of what makes the challenges of sustainability so intimidating is their scale. The narrative around the topic is often focused on the bigger picture, and goals like the UK achieving net zero emissions by 2050 can feel daunting. As with any large project, it can be difficult to know where exactly to start. In reality, seemingly small wins can begin to create the momentum for change when taken together. Organisational leadership has a really important role in educating stakeholders and making sure that construction and fit-out companies lead by example and hold themselves to account. Effective education drives changes in behaviour that help contribute to the larger goal of transitioning to a low-carbon economy.
"Although it may seem small, an onsite worker stopping to quickly check whether a paint is low VOC before applying it shows that people are beginning to think differently about the way they work," says Lisa.
The construction and design industry is at the heart of making our towns and cities more sustainable. By taking a proactive approach to driving change rather than reacting to it, we can help clients create amazing, future-proofed spaces with social and environmental benefits that ripple outwards. We can also help them differentiate themselves in a crowded market and make sustainability the norm.
Discover the latest sustainable products for interior design, here.
Market expectations and perceived building standards are holding back the country's progress to construct net-zero buildings, according to the UK Green Building Council, UKGBC. The organisation would like to see developers adjusting investor and owner-occupier expectations about green buildings and this should be set out early in a development's narrative.
It is often said buildings were completely fitted out to maximize appeal during the leasing stage, resulting in over-provision and waste as typically incoming occupiers remove final fit-outs.
UKGBC head of business transformation Alastair Mant said: "Achieving the necessary reductions in embodied and operational carbon requires large scale changes to how buildings are designed, constructed, and operated. There are many barriers along the way and we must work quickly to identify them and the corresponding opportunities to overcome them."
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Mineral and graphene technology paints company Graphenstone, are reporting unprecedented demand for its' sustainable range of air-purifying, CO2 absorbing, VOC free hygienic paints. Patrick Folkes, CEO & Founder of The Graphene Company - Sole Distributor of Graphenstone, UK shares insight behind the increasing desire for more purposeful paint specification.
The health impact from toxic petro-chemical, plastic-based paints is now more widely recognised. Historically, the area of key interest for consumers was just colour. However, most didn’t appreciate the costs to both people and planet, of this simple selection criteria.
Heavily polluting paint production processes, as well as the highly negative impact in homes and offices of toxic fumes on Indoor Air Quality (IAQ), from solvents and VOC’s (for many months after application), went largely unrecognized. Did you know that after painting, the VOC levels in your room can increase by hundreds of times?
Manufacturers responded to some of the most egregious issues of the past decades, by removing lead content and some of the worst offending VOC heavy products, as regulations tightened.
Recently however, times have changed. The ecological crisis, so effectively documented by David Attenborough and others, boosted by the recent Covid pandemic, are now forcing real evolution… at a much faster pace.
Prior to recent scientific developments, there was typically a compromise on performance in the selection of more ecological products. Furthermore, many manufacturers climbed aboard the ‘eco-friendly’ marketing bandwagon, often with no genuine, independently verified certifications to support their claims. This resulted in an inevitable ‘green-washing’ backlash. Who can we trust?
Graphenstone has now secured over 20 of the most recognised ‘harm-free’ certifications from the best known product evaluation specialists globally, including Cradle to Cradle (certified Gold and Silver). Cradle to Cradle Institute look at all aspects of your product, down to 100 parts per million of ingredients; how the materials were sourced; water and energy use in production; local social responsibility, as well as how the products die out; all in all a thorough and demanding process. In addition, Graphenstone’s paints are BREEAM, WELL, and LEED compliant and benefit from Ecolabel and EPDs (European Product Declarations).
Graphenstone has a totally unique profile in the paints market. Our range has no toxicity. In fact these products actively CLEAN and PURIFY the air, our pure lime based ranges removing CO2, SOx, NOx and other pollutants.
Highly breathable, anti-bacterial (inhibiting all micro-organisms), Fire-proof (A1 EU, Class ‘0’ UK), Vegan, VOC free, Class 1 strength and in a range of over 1000 colours, we’ve created a beautiful matt paint reinforced by graphene technology, a form of carbon which is the strongest material on earth. Odour free and super quick drying, with no preservatives, chemicals, plastic or microbeads, our products contain no MIT or BIT. That’s a lot of valuable features in a single product range!
Strength is a fundamentally important asset in more ways than one. To make the sustainable, environmental claim, the regularity of painting is crucial. Mineral products would normally not compete in terms of durability and life-cycle with synthetic-binder based paints (such as vinyl or acrylic), thus creating a negative footprint ecologically, given the requirement for more regular repainting. By introducing graphene technology, which provides structural support to the minerals at the molecular level, Graphenstone’s range offer Class 1 strength like an acrylic, yet with none of the negatives in production or use, in homes and offices. Once applied, our paints could stay on your wall in a healthy and sustainable condition, for decades!
The Graphenstone pure limes can absorb up to 5.5Kg’s of CO2 per 15 litre pot! Imagine converting your walls into an air-purification system, as opposed to a constant emitter of toxic fumes, impacting on the health and respiratory systems of your friends, family or work colleagues. It’s like painting trees into your house or office.
In conclusion, our message to designers in this challenging era, is to carefully evaluate what product they specify, to ensure that it’s in the interests of the people who’s lives will be impacted by that selection. Do ensure too that the claims made by brands can be independently verified and the impact on people and the environment is truly ‘harm-free’.
The future of clean, durable paints is in fact available today.
Click here to explore the range.
About the Author
Patrick Folkes is the CEO & Founder of The Graphene Company - Sole Distributor of Graphenstone, UK. An independent entrepreneur since 1990 with a background in finance, Patrick founded PJ’s in 1995, the UK’s first fruit smoothie business, which sold to PepsiCo in 2005. Patrick was intrigued by the potential of Graphenstone. Natural, highly sustainable, air-purifying paints reinforced by graphene, a 21st Century Nobel prize winning carbon technology, offered the perfect product at a time of urgent need.
SBID Accredited Partner, KI Europe has published new Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for its portfolio of UK-manufactured products to help customers meet their sustainability objectives. Valid for five years, these documents help to achieve credits towards SKA, BREEAM, LEED and other certifications and standards.
KI’s furniture helps the world leading organisations create happy, healthy, high performing working and learning environments for their people; bringing together good design, advanced engineering and sustainable resources.
An EPD is a standardised and verified way of quantifying the environmental impacts of a product based on a consistent set of rules known as a PCR (Product Category Rules). Conformant with ISO 14025 (ISO 14025:2006 Environmental labels and declarations - Type III environmental declarations - Principles and procedures), these cradle-to-grave EPDs are concise and include environmental information and life cycle assessments (LCA) which have been conducted by Giraffe Innovation Ltd. LCAs cover materials, production, distribution, use, through to end of life; helping specifiers and customers to confidently make more sustainable procurement decisions.
Jonathan Hindle, KI’s Group Managing Director, EMEA, comments: “Sustainability is a top priority for a growing number of public and private sector projects. These EPDs show our commitment to tackling our shared issues such as climate change, carbon footprint and environmental impact. Additionally, analysing the environmental performance of our products over their lifetime can help us to develop even better products and processes in the future.”
KI’s products manufactured in the UK with third-party verified EPDs, published on Environdec (www.environdec.com) include:
Additional KI products including bespoke items have self-declared third party reviewed EPDs that have been produced by using the same calculator and standards.
SpeakEasy with Patrick Folkes
In this episode of the SBID podcast, host Grant Pierrus talks business and sustainability in interior design with entrepreneur and founder of The Graphene Company, trading an innovative and ground breaking line of natural paint.
Patrick explains the origins of the Graphene Company and how the process of combining Graphene and minerals developed to create this new healthy and high-tech range of ecological paints.
As a globally certified sustainable paints company with credentials in environmental performance, cradle to cradle practices and social responsibility, Patrick shares his approach to achieving genuine sustainability throughout the entire product lifecycle.
Shedding light into the concept of what "eco paint" really is - he talks green washing in the industry, how levels of VOC impact biophilic design and the integral role of lime in air purification. Discussing the future of the paint sector for interior design, he explores the importance of health considerations, ecological characteristics and indoor air quality in the industry.
Tune in to the whole conversation to discover more.
Patrick Folkes
Patrick Folkes has focused his career on a range of financial and entrepreneurial activities. He began in 1980 when he was involved in derivatives broking and gold and silver bullion market-making in London and New York. In 1990, he founded his own fund marketing and advisory firm, Folkes Asset Management. Later, in 2016, he founded The Graphene Company, trading Graphenstone Paint UK with its innovative range of sustainable, healthy and high-tech ecological coatings that are air-purifying and free of plastic and VOC.
SpeakEasy with Vanessa Brady OBE
The SBID teamed up with Pierrus Agency to launch the new ‘SpeakEasy’ podcast series. Hosted by founder, Grant Pierrus, we’ll be sitting down for insightful and thought-provoking conversations with leading design professionals across the field of interior design, from international interior designers to innovative product suppliers to uncover their unique perspectives on the industry, the key factors driving industry change, and what they intend to do about it!
Grant gets candid over a coffee with some of the biggest names in the interior design industry. The first episode in the new 'SpeakEasy' series will feature a conversation with award-winning interior designer and founder of SBID, Dr Vanessa Brady OBE, where she sheds light on how climate change is effecting the interior design and construction industries.
Vanessa comments on how she can see the design sector unfolding in the next decade; driven by the newly emerging consumer attitudes which weren't so prominent in the 90's, where people were more concerned with showing off their wealth.
"For very first time designers, and people in general, have a conscience ... and that conscience says people are interested in how things are made. Obviously if you're in business you have to be looking at the bottom line - but it's not the only driver. It's a social conscience on the things that are involved in making a business tick - giving back, looking after other people, being decent again, and I think that did get lost a little bit in the past."
Armed with over 30 years expertise in the design industry, she continues to share her thoughts on the broad topic sustainability, how integral this will become for the future of design and what role technology, innovation and manufacturing will need to play in this process.
Highlighting important considerations for designers, whether of interiors or of products, she adds "Sustainability is something that effects everything, from the beginning of the idea to the end user, so it is a sort of cradle to grave process. And I think it's not just during the use of a product ... it's when its use is over. What happens then?"
Upcoming episodes will feature the talented founders of Hill House Interiors, Helen Bygraves and Jenny Weiss, as well as director of Life Kitchens, Oliver Stephenson.
Stay up to date with the latest episodes and click here to find out more.
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