Dezeen's Christmas gift guide for environmentally conscious architects and designers

For the upcoming holiday season, we've selected 15 environmentally friendly gift ideas for architecture and design aficionados.

Following a year when the climate crisis was high up on the global agenda, we've curated a Christmas gift guide that focuses on recycled materials, low-waste packaging and products that aim to promote biodiversity.

Highlights include Kengo Kuma-designed sunglasses made from bioplastic, face masks filled with flower seeds and a selection of refillable skincare products. Read on for more:

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The refillable deodorant
Fussy, designed by Blond

Longlisted for this year's Dezeen Awards, Fussy's easy-to-use system features deodorant blocks made from natural ingredients, which slot neatly into a pebble-shaped case made from recycled plastic. Especially for Christmas, the brand has launched a pine-scented block produced from unwanted Christmas trees.

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Desk accessories made from food waste
bFRIENDS by Bene, designed by Pearson Lloyd and Batch.Works

Every element in this curvaceous collection of desk accessories is made by 3D-printing recycled food packaging. Featuring 10 different objects, available in 20 different colours, there's something for every home office.

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Tableware with a social impact
Erno range by Goldfinger

Socially-minded design brand Goldfinger has launched a range of tableware produced from waste wood, including salad servers, a salad bowl and a serving board. As with all Goldfinger products, a share of the profits goes towards community outreach programmes.

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Vases and dishes made from sawdust
Homeware by Forust, designed by Fuseproject

Yves Béhar's studio Fuseproject has developed a 3D-printing technique that turns sawdust back into wood. Using a natural tree-sap binder, it produces vases and dishes that boast swirling geometries and a natural-looking wood grain.

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Sunglasses 3D-printed from castor beans
CL0013 and CL0015 by Vava, designed by Kengo Kuma

While many eyewear brands are exploring the world of bioplastics, Vava is the first to do so with the help of a star architect. Kengo Kuma's two sculptural eyewear designs are 3D printed in a thermoplastic made from Indian castor beans.

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Plant-based trainers
Cactus and Mango Sneakers by SAYE

For the latest additions to its range of vegan, bio-based trainers, Spanish streetwear brand SAYE has been experimenting with plant-based leathers made from waste fruit and cactus nappa. The shoes also boast bamboo lining and rubber soles, while the insole is made from materials offcuts sourced from the automotive industry.

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A multifunctional toolbox in recycled plastic
Toolbox RE by Vitra, designed by Arik Levy

More than 10 years after launching the versatile Toolbox, Vitra has given it a sustainable revamp by switching to recycled rather than virgin plastic, sourced from industrial waste. Available in a range of vibrant colours, it offers a neat solution for storing tools or stationery.

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A guide to biophilic architecture
Evergreen Architecture, published by Gestalten

Among the most enticing new design books released this year is this compendium of plant-covered buildings. Featuring everything from green roofs and living walls to verdant courtyards and balconies, Evergreen Architecture explores the challenges and opportunities of designing buildings to embrace nature.

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Design your own fragrance
Natural perfume oil making workshops by Homework

Based in London's new design district, skincare and scent brand Homework offers a range of products that combine natural, toxin-free ingredients with minimal, recyclable packaging. It is now hosting workshops where customers can come in and design their own perfume blends.

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Glassware made by Afghan artisans
Glasses, tumblers and carafes by ISHKAR

Social enterprise ISHKAR sources products from countries in conflict, to help outsiders see a different side of these places besides the image of war and poverty. Highlights include glassware hand-made by artisans in Herat, Afghanistan.

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Mix-it-yourself skincare
Forgo skincare, designed by Form Us With Love

Aiming to reduce waste in the beauty industry, Forgo's skincare products come in the form of powder sachets, which are mixed with tap water in a reusable bottle. Following the launch of its first product in 2020, a foaming hand wash, the brand has now also launched a body wash available in three scents.

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A lamp made from orange peels
Ohmie by Krill Design

Sicilian orange peels are the main component in this table lamp created by Milan-based startup Krill Design. The peels are ground down and combined with starch to make them suitable for 3D printing. The material they produce features an orangey scent and speckled texture, and can be easily composted at the end of its life.

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Face masks filled with flower seeds
Masks by Marie Bee Bloom

As the coronavirus pandemic continues and face masks remain a part of everyday life, Dutch brand Marie Bee Bloom has developed a version that could help to reduce plastic pollution. These face masks are made from rice paper embedded with wildflower seeds, so once they've been used they can be planted in the ground.

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The low-tech city maps
Architecture and design maps by Blue Crow Media

With its range of fold-out paper maps, British publisher Blue Crow Media has made it easier than ever to navigate a city by its architecture. With new editions including the Postmodern London Map, the Modern Venice Map and the Berlin U-Bahn Architecture & Design Map, there's something to appeal to every taste.

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A water bottle designed to last
Mono Thermal by Hay

Now available in on-trend shades of lilac, blue and cappuccino, this flask by Danish homeware brand Hay offers an attractive alternative to plastic water bottles. It is designed to keep liquids hot and cold, and boasts a handle that makes it easy to carry.

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Glossier opens London flagship in Covent Garden's oldest building

American beauty brand Glossier has opened its first international flagship store in London's Covent Garden neighbourhood, featuring an ornate logo designed to reflect the shop's historical location.

Glossier London is located at 43 King Street, a 17th-century townhouse in Covent Garden said to be the oldest surviving building in the piazza, and was created by the brand's in-house design team.

The Glossier "G" logo has been given an ornate twist

As the beauty brand's first flagship store outside of the US, Glossier intended for the shop to strike a balance between maintaining the intricate design details of the historical townhouse while also rooting the interiors in the brand's trademark modern style.

Visitors enter the store through a seven-metres-tall grand foyer where they encounter a large "G" for Glossier, designed in ornate silver-coloured calligraphy that nods to the grandeur of the building.

Marble accents feature throughout the store

"We took inspiration from the architecture and rich history of this particular townhouse, the oldest in Covent Garden," said Adriana Deleo, Glossier's deputy creative director and head of its in-house design team.

"Inside you’ll notice modern takes on the traditional features of the townhouse like Glossier G rosettes laid into the wood floor, or beautifully ornate cornice details that we incorporated into our logo," she added.

"We even developed perforated pink metal walls, so that you can see the original building details behind them, creating a sleek illuminated veil."

Read:

Glossier Seattle store features mossy mushroom-covered mound

The Glossier logo at the store's entrance sits above a round bubblegum-pink bench, which is surrounded by various undulating marble accents. Light-hued wooden parquet flooring adds a modern touch against the building's original arches and cornices.

After entering the foyer, visitors can test and buy makeup and other cosmetics at an expansive beauty space that is also designed in various shades of sugary pinks and browns.

The boutique has pink and brown hues

The space also features Glossier's signature "You Look Good Mirrors" found in existing stores and a versatile "wet bar" that holds various testers of the brand's products, illuminated by overhanging bulbous pendant lights.

White vases of pink roses are positioned in the beauty space where they contrast against modern artworks, including an overly-saturated abstract photograph of flower petals that hangs on the wall.

Modern elements are blended with the building's historical details

Glossier London's opening follows the beauty brand's pop-up shop that was positioned on Covent Garden's Floral Street in 2019, which was adorned with brightly-coloured floral wallpaper as an ode to the shop's location.

Founded by Emily Weiss in 2014, originally as an e-commerce site, the Glossier brand has a small number of other bricks-and-mortar stores in America.

These include a recently opened shop in Los Angeles with gigantic, billboard-style lettering on its facade that takes cues from the world-famous Hollywood sign.

The photography is courtesy of Glossier.

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MAD Rhapsody showcases 23 projects by Ma Yansong's studio

Dezeen promotion: a new book presents 17 years of visionary projects by Chinese architect Ma Yansong and his studio MAD, from organically shaped skyscrapers to rooftop landscapes.

MAD Rhapsody highlights 23 of MAD Architects' key projects from 2004 – when the studio was founded – up until the present day.

MAD Rhapsody is MAD's second monograph

It features some of the studio's best-known works, including the plant-covered Gardenhouse in Los Angeles, the colourful Courtyard Kindergarten and the mountain-like Chaoyang Park Plaza, both in Beijing.

It also features smaller scale projects like the Cloudscape of Haikou and the Tunnel of Light installation in Echigo Tsumari Triennale, as well as in-progress works like the under-construction Lucas Museum of Narrative Art.

The book features 23 projects, including Harbin Opera House

MAD Rhapsody is the firm's second monograph, following the publication of MAD Works in 2016.

The preface is authored by architecture critic Paul Goldberger and author Philip Jodidio.

Courtyard Kindergarten is another of the featured projects

The book explores various themes that are present in the studio's designs, from organic forms to futuristic technologies.

These are illustrated through a range of photographs, drawings and models, across 288 colour pages.

Designs like Cloudscape of Haikou feature organic forms

"Known for its futuristic, organic, and technologically daring designs, which seek to create a dialogue with nature, earth, and sky, MAD's work spans the globe," reads the text.

"With a vision for the future city that is deeply rooted in the spiritual needs of citizens, MAD's practice seeks to create a unique harmony between humanity and the built environment, both natural and manmade."

Other projects, like Shenzhen Bay Culture Park, feature cutting edge technologies

The book also includes a foreword by critic Paul Goldberger, suggesting MAD's work assimilates elements from the likes of Antoni Gaudi and Eero Saarinen, and combines them with "a dollop of pure fantasy and perhaps a bit of science fiction".

He describes the results as "technologically adventuresome, flamboyant, bold and monumental in scale, yet with surprising and endearing elements of intimacy".

MAD is a global architectural studio that is "committed to developing futuristic, organic, technologically advanced designs that embody a contemporary interpretation of the Eastern affinity for nature".

"With a vision for the city of the future based on the spiritual and emotional needs of residents, MAD endeavors to create a balance between humanity, the city, and the environment," said the studio.

MAD Rhapsody is published by Rizzoli Electa and is available to buy now.

Partnership content

This article was written by Dezeen for UNStudio and Nihon Sekkei as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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Büro Koray Duman creates airy spa for underground S10 gym in Manhattan

Birch plywood sufaces and a pale pink sofa feature in a members-only spa in Manhattan's West Village designed by architecture studio Büro Koray Duman for a celebrity trainer.

The spa is found inside the S10 "cult gym" belonging to trainer Stephen Cheuk, whose clients include musicians Diplo and Joe Jonas. The facility's name comes from the level of body fat – sub 10 percent – that Cheuk advises for his male clients.

The spa is located within the S10 gym in the West Village

The fitness club is spread across two levels in an old manufacturing building in the West Village.

The ground level has a 600-square-foot (56-square-metre) coffee and smoothie shop, while the basement level holds a gym and recovery spa totalling 7,200 square feet (669 square metres).

A pale pink sofa snakes through the space

While designing the project, local firm Büro Koray Duman sought to maintain industrial qualities while producing a serene atmosphere within the spa.

"The overarching design goal was to create a calming, soothing and light-filled space to contrast the rawness of the gym," the architects said.

The lobby features a white marble desk

A staircase and elevator lead down to the basement level, where visitors encounter a lobby with a white marble desk and a slatted wall made of Baltic birch plywood. Behind the slats is the facility's name rendered in laser-cut, opaque plexiglass.

Just off the foyer is a rectangular fitness room, which features a black-and-white colour palette and square columns wrapped with mirrors.

Birch plywood spa room doors are marked with black numbers

The foyer also provides access to the spa, which is L-shaped in plan. Members travel down a corridor and pass by lockers, changing areas, bathrooms and massage rooms.

Upon turning a corner, they discover an airy common space lined with six private spa rooms. The space is adorned with a pink 1969 Verpan Cloverleaf Sofa by Danish designer Verner Panton.

A black-and-white colour palette is repeated throughout the gym

Underfoot is white flooring, and overhead are half arches intended to offer "a sense of progression and arrival", the architects said.

Similar to the lobby, the team used birch plywood for doors and wall panels. Spa room doors are marked with a number made of black film and inserted into wooden slots.

Read:

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Above the doors are arched openings infilled with polycarbonate, enabling light to pass through.

Each spa room has its own steam shower, infrared sauna and soaking tub. Design elements include warm-toned cedar steps and clear glass with a translucent film.

LED lighting is set against polycarbonate panels

Throughout the subterranean spa, the team put a special focus on lighting to make up for the lack of windows.

"Lighting was the most important element of the project," the architects said. "We offset bright LED strips from polycarbonate-panelled walls for the space to appear as if it were filled with natural light."

S10 gym is located in the basement of an old manufacturing building

Büro Koray Duman also designed the fitness club's coffee and smoothie bar, which was completed after the project's photo shoot.

Based in New York and Istanbul, the studio has a diverse portfolio of projects that includes a Brooklyn apartment with staggered bookshelves and a Greenwich Village pizzeria with an open kitchen and volcanic stone shelving.

The photography is by Büro Koray Duman.

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Furniture brands raise prices due to "excessive rise" in cost of materials and transport

Leading furniture and homeware brands including IKEA, Piet Hein Eek and Axor are raising prices by up to eight per cent due to global shipping issues and material shortages.

Brands are blaming "exponential" increases in the cost of raw materials, with some costs now "more than double" previous levels.

Dutch designer Piet Hein Eek's eponymous brand announced last week that it will introduce "inevitable" price increases of eight per cent from January.

"Due to the worldwide shortage and price increases of raw materials, in combination with the excessive rise in international transport costs, we are forced to raise our prices," said the brand.

This follows increases of approximately five per cent announced earlier this month by bathroom company Hansgrohe and its sister brand Axor, effective from January, while IKEA warned in November of an expected price increase in 2022.

Global supply chain crisis

The issues are a symptom of the global supply chain crisis, which has primarily been blamed on labour shortages and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Furniture brands have been impacted by both shortages of delivery transportation and raw materials, which have been delaying production and driving up the costs.

Read:

French architects face wood shortage with "prices going up every week"

"When the world economy began to emerge from the interruption caused by Covid, I don't recall many forecasters predicting either the disruption and shortages there would be to global supply chains, nor the scale of price increases, particularly to commodities, labour and transportation," said Andy Tatton, group sales director for British furniture brand Boss Design.

Boss is one of several brands that have warned of plans to raise prices, but are still yet to reveal the scale of the increases.

More increases to be announced

Although the company already raised its prices in May 2021, Tatton said that a further increase will be applied in January 2022, to reflect "the level of sustained increases since then".

"We are still finalising the exact price changes, and, as in May, these will be applied on a range-by-range basis to reflect the relevant increases to input costs," said Tatton.

British brand Hølte, which offers a range of products for fitted kitchens, is similarly planning to raise its prices in 2022 after seeing the cost of birch plywood and medium-density fibreboard (MDF) "more than double" in price.

"This year we have seen exponential price increases to most, if not all, our materials," said Hølte director Fiona Ginnett.

"To date we have absorbed the cost increases either in part or in full. However in January we will see yet more increases, including 13 per cent on the price of all laminates, so we will unfortunately be forced to increase our prices for the first time."

IKEA will pass costs on to retailers

IKEA's plans to raise prices were revealed in November after Inter IKEA Group – the company that supplies stock to IKEA store franchisees – released its summary for the 2021 financial year.

Although the furniture giant experienced record sales during the pandemic, its pretax profit fell 16 percent from the previous year, a loss of €320 million (£273 million). It said "the steep increase in transport and raw material prices" was to blame.

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Speaking to Reuters, chief financial officer Martin van Dam said that IKEA has been absorbing these increased costs in order to keep its product prices stable.

But with supply chain issues expected to continue well into 2022, the company plans to pass some of the higher material and transport costs on to store owners, who will have final say over the extent of the price adjustments.

"The scarcity and pricing of raw materials, and then the logistical problems – that means it will be difficult to grow in FY22," Van Dam told Reuters. "Of course we plan for growth, we will go for it, but it's going to be very, very hard work in our supply chain, and with our retailers as well."

Coronavirus and labour shortage to blame

Global supply chain issues can be attributed to a combination of factors, according to research by think tank Institute for Government.

During the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic, social distancing restrictions and the general economic downturn led to a slowdown in manufacturing.

In many instances, the shortages were high up in production supply chains – with examples including glues and resins – which is why the impact is only now being felt.

The pandemic also exacerbated the shortages of skilled labour that were already being felt worldwide, with the haulage and warehousing industries among those worst affected.

For the UK, the issues are believed to have been further worsened by Brexit. Industries that have typically relied on a workforce from the European Union (EU) are finding it harder than ever to recruit staff, while border issues have impacted international deliveries.

Designers and architects told Dezeen "everything has become an admin nightmare" following the UK's departure from the EU.

The main image is by Shutterstock.

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