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Why it could be 10X bigger than the iPad, the MacBook and the iPhone combined... [WSW Logo]( [Divider] A note from the Editor: Wall Street Wizardry is dedicated to providing readers like you with unique opportunities. The message below from one of our business associates is one we believe you should take a serious look at. [divider] New interiors made from old materials are at the forefront of sustainable design. Clare Dowdy explores the waste-not-want-not spaces that are leading the way. I In a handsome Edwardian house in south London, the bold kitchen's interior is literally made from kitchen rubbish. No slabs of pristine Carrera marble or granite in Mountain View. Instead, the work tops and cupboard doors had former lives as microwave meal trays, bottle tops and plastic chopping boards. It's the epitome of "waste-not-want-not" design, with recycled plastics given a new – more noble – role, and adding style. More like this: - The world's most ingenious buildings - The rise of relaxed minimalism - The origins of the de-cluttered home Mat Barnes of architecture and design studio CAN, and owner of Mountain View, was drawn to the graphic quality of recycling company Smile Plastics' bold panels made from kitchen packaging waste. "They're like exaggerated surreal marble," he tells BBC Culture. But his choice wasn't purely driven by environmental concerns. "We chose them for their aesthetic, we weren't compromising our look by going for something sustainable." The interior of Mountain View was created from re-purposed building materials by Mat Barnes of design studio CAN (Credit: Jim Stephenson) The interior of Mountain View was created from re-purposed building materials by Mat Barnes of design studio CAN (Credit: Jim Stephenson) Similarly, rather than adorning the living room with brand new decorative mouldings – in reference to the house's original period details – Barnes scoured a local plaster maker for seconds. These delightfully imperfect fragments were stuck to the walls like sculptures, and painted a rich blue in keeping with the rest of the monochrome room. The waste-not-want-not approach carries a cachet in some parts of the world, where being sustainable is worn as a badge of honour Like many designers and architects these days, Barnes was keen that as few building materials as possible ended up as waste from the transformation of this house into a pop-culture-inspired family home. So the offcuts from the kitchen cabinets were used externally on the first floor's concrete lintels; and when part of an internal brick wall was removed to create a cascading wall effect between the kitchen and living area, those same bricks were relocated to the back of the garden and laid out as a patio. The recycling and repurposing of materials is increasing in popularity. With recycling, materials are turned into something else for their second life, which generally takes some effort and energy. With repurposing, items are simply used again, though often for new purposes. In both cases, designers have more and more products and techniques to choose from. Mountain View is among the homes featured in the new book Reclaimed: New Homes from Old Materials by Penny Craswell (Credit: Jim Stephenson) Mountain View is among the homes featured in the new book Reclaimed: New Homes from Old Materials by Penny Craswell (Credit: Jim Stephenson) When a mid-20th-Century house near Bratislava was in too poor a condition to renovate and extend, architect Martin Skoček demolished it. Nothing remarkable about that. But rather than starting from scratch, he got the bricks cleaned up, and used them for the interior walls of House V, a new gabled property on the same site. These bricks now cover the peripheral walls of the open-plan living area, the master bedroom and its en-suite bathroom, and the children's rooms. "Lining the inside of your home with recycled bricks isn't just an intelligent way to reuse construction waste when pulling down a house and putting up a new one. It also creates a unified and beautiful interior finish," writes Penny Craswell in her new book, Reclaimed: New Homes from Old Materials. She adds that moving House V's bricks inside "provides a fresh new aesthetic. Sometimes reusing the same materials in a different space can be enough to make it look like a completely contemporary redesign." In this way, the interior of the house near the Slovakian capital echoes the exterior of its rural neighbours. Going for the waste-not-want-not approach carries a cachet in some parts of the world, where being sustainable is worn as a badge of honour. But Malay Doshi of architects Studio Sārānsh in Ahmedabad, India, is something of an outlier. For the transformation of a two-bed dwelling into his own open-plan studio apartment, "he departed from the new finishes usually used in new residential projects in India, instead opting for reclaimed and handcrafted materials," writes Craswell. Recycled bricks are used to line the walls of House V in Bratislava, designed by architect Martin Skoček (Credit: Matej Hakar) Recycled bricks are used to line the walls of House V in Bratislava, designed by architect Martin Skoček (Credit: Matej Hakar) So instead of the typical chic and shiny-bright aesthetic, his MD Apartment has a raw, unfinished look created using reclaimed materials. Here, raw concrete, hand-finished plaster, stone and concrete tiles rub shoulders with dark, aged teak. Doshi didn’t create this look by flicking through new product brochures. Instead, he came across a shop in an industrial area of Ahmedabad that was full of reclaimed building materials. There, he picked up aged teak that had come out of housing that dated back to the Mughal Empire, which ended in the mid-1800s. A second life While the apartment was being stripped of all its partition walls, and reconstructed to Doshi's design, he spent a lot of time on site. He was there to see the teak flooring and wall cladding being installed, which meant he was able to squirrel away precious offcuts of wood. He used some to line the shoe shelves near the front door, and artfully inlaid others in the concrete of the kitchen floor. The kitchen also has aged teak drawers below its grey stone work surface, and the library's shelves are fashioned from reclaimed timber. He even turned a load of long, slim offcuts into a latticed grid top for the coffee table in the living space. In total, around 70% of the wood in MD Apartment is reclaimed. And although some of it in its former (long) life had been carved into, or glued together or had long nails extracted, it was still stronger than new wood, and "it had a distinctive look derived from its age," Doshi explains in the book. Reclaimed timber can be extremely beautiful, thanks to a patina that accumulates with time and wear – Penny Craswell Craswell echoes this, writing of the aesthetic benefits of wood. "Reclaimed timber can be extremely beautiful, thanks to a patina that accumulates with time and wear." As well as creating a warm, one-off look, there are the obvious environmental benefits to this approach. RIBA's Built for the Environment report shows that 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions are attributable to buildings and construction, consuming about 50% of all raw materials worldwide in the process. That includes concrete, bricks, wood, glass, metals and plastic. In the UK alone, more than 50,000 buildings are demolished each year, many of which could have been repurposed, according to RIBA. MD Apartment in Ahmedabad, designed by Studio Sārānsh, shows how recycled timber can help create a chic space (Credit: Ishita Sitwala/ The Fishy Project) MD Apartment in Ahmedabad, designed by Studio Sārānsh, shows how recycled timber can help create a chic space (Credit: Ishita Sitwala/ The Fishy Project) "Using reclaimed and recycled materials is a vital part of the circular economy that we need to establish if we are going to fight the climate crisis," writes Craswell. Historically, the circular economy has been much talked about in the worlds of fashion and products, but increasingly interior designers and architects are getting in on the act. And their decisions can help eliminate waste by reusing buildings and their material components. In Reclaimed, Craswell makes the point that "Architects and interior designers can tackle pollution through the choices they make. Architects have a responsibility… to divert useable materials from landfill. Interior designers can do even more," as interiors often have a shorter lifespan than the building itself. She cites author Katie Treggiden, who researches the use of recycled waste in design. "She believes that building materials and interior finishes made from waste or 'second-life materials' are becoming more accepted – or sought after," Craswell adds. Pete Collard, curator of RIBA's exhibition Long Life, Low Energy: Designing for a Circular Economy, backs this up. "When you're reusing materials directly, there's an obvious second-hand quality. It's good to wear your language on your sleeve, presenting your history up front." Collard believes that "using waste products found on site, which have an aesthetic of their own, means rethinking visual languages, away from pristine." Of course, repurposing materials from old buildings is nothing new. In Roman cities, pieces of stone were dragged from one part of town to another to form new buildings. And then in the Middle Ages, parts of timber structures found new homes. So the principles of the circular economy have deep roots. But things changed in the UK in the mid-Victorian era, when mass-produced house-building took off. And with the industrial revolution, the production of materials and furniture was scaled up, and people with money wanted to show off their wealth. "Buying brand new was the way to do that," says Collard. The warm tones and textures of MD Apartment are achieved through the use of re-purposed teak floorboards (Credit: Ishita Sitwala/ The Fishy Project) The warm tones and textures of MD Apartment are achieved through the use of re-purposed teak floorboards (Credit: Ishita Sitwala/ The Fishy Project) Little has changed in many parts of the world, until now. New techniques allow the "the breakdown and reconstitution of waste [which] is the new frontier when it comes to recycled building materials," Craswell writes. "Recycling processes can also allow non-construction waste materials, such as post-consumer waste, to be transformed into construction materials." Hence insulation made from old denim, benchtops made from old plastic chopping boards and terrazzo made from recycled glass. And with the increasing scarcity in materials, repurposing and recycling will soon be a necessity rather than a choice. While aesthetics in previous times often trumpeted the big, bold and novel, repurposing and recycling has a different approach. Rather than creating interiors that show off wealth, "now we need to show off about sustainability", Collard believes. "There's a financial value to this approach, but there's also a cultural value." And he predicts that "increasingly, you'll see eco credentials presented upfront". With the direction of travel for interior designers and architects clear, one question remains: what will net-zero, circular-economy design look like? This “secret” Apple project has been in the works for nearly a decade. It goes by the code name “Project Titan”... And Elon Musk considers it to be one of Silicon Valley’s worst- kept secrets. Honestly, I have to agree with him. Apple hasn’t publicly confirmed the existence of Project Titan... Yet take a look at what some of the news outlets are already saying about it. Forbes says “Project Titan” is “Apple’s Next Big Thing...” CNBC reports that Project Titan could make Apple a “Game-Changer...” And Barron’s says “Wall Street Is Obsessed With [Project Titan]...” Project Titan can hardly be called a secret at this point... but if you don’t know what it is yet, don’t worry. I’ve recently released an eye-opening presentation to show you [the full story behind Project Titan,]( where I detail: - How Project Titan may be Steve Jobs’ final technological marvel... - Why it could be 10X bigger than the iPad, the MacBook and the iPhone combined... - Why it could transform Apple as a company forever... - And the little-know $5 stock that’s poised to soar 40X once Project Titan goes live. [Click here to watch now!]( Sincerely, [Signature] Luke Lango When it comes to interior design, there is a happy medium to be found between minimalist and maximalist. Dominic Lutyens explores the homes that combine clarity and comfort. T The word "minimalist" elicits mixed reactions. From the 1990s, it has been used by many as a derogatory term. Even ardent design fans associate it with soulless interiors and a humourless reverence for design that prioritises aesthetics over comfort, or simply regard it as impractical, given all the stuff many of us inevitably accumulate. In recent years, some designers have even gone to the other extreme, cultivating maximalism, welcomed by many as a joyful, exuberant antidote to uptight minimalism. Floral wallpapers and rich, intense colours became popular in interiors crammed with contrasting textures and an eclectic mix of furniture, artworks and curios. More like this: - Origins of the de-cluttered home - Inside Japan's most minimalist homes - Five ways to be calm and why it matters But there's a happy medium to be found between these two extremes. We're now witnessing a return to more restrained, uncluttered interiors – but with a more relaxed, comfortable feel. One indication of this is paint colours, which are moving away from maximalism's dramatic, even oppressive hues, such as navy or bottle green, to paler, earthier mid-tones like sandy beige and sage green that arguably make rooms feel more spacious. Perhaps lockdowns, which reawakened an interest in nature, helped foster this taste for a palette inspired by the great outdoors. A perception of maximalism as excessive and wasteful in the light of growing environmental concerns might have also sparked a trend for more clean-lined homes. Pops of colour and display shelving help provide both character and a sense of order (Credit: Betsy Smith) Pops of colour and display shelving help provide both character and a sense of order (Credit: Betsy Smith) "People now want a simpler life partly because they're more conscious of sustainability," says Betsy Smith, an interiors stylist and colour consultant for Graphenstone Paints, who dubs her taste "relaxed minimalism". She tells BBC Culture: "As we're becoming more informed about what we buy, our interiors are becoming more considered. We're using fewer elements to curate a comfortable, practical, stylish home." The 1990s vogue for radically minimalist interiors sprung from early 20th-Century modernism and a zero tolerance, among some of its exponents, for extraneous elements. Technological advances in reinforced concrete and steel frames obviated the need for internal load-bearing walls, resulting in spacious, open-plan interiors. A seminal example is Dutch architect and designer Gerrit Rietveld's Schröder House of 1924. Comprising intersecting vertical and horizontal rectangular planes, its interiors were open-plan and devoid of ornament. And German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe advocated extreme simplicity with his German Pavilion created in 1929 for the International Exposition in Barcelona and cuboid Tugendhat House in the Czech Republic, built in 1930. Yet aspects of these seemingly severe buildings are influencing today's warm minimalism trend. These include a strong connection between their interiors and surrounding landscape thanks to their expansive glazing. A graceful willow tree stands outside the dining area of Tugendhat House. Another modernist element inspiring architects of minimalist homes today is the rich palette of materials favoured by Van der Rohe. For the German Pavilion, he created two luxurious, leather-covered seats – still in production – for use by the visiting King and Queen of Spain. "Minimalism, born out of early 20th-Century modernism, was in many ways a reaction against over-decorated, over-furnished high-Victorian interiors," says James Gorst, founder of James Gorst Architects. "At Tugenhadt, Van der Rohe deployed a palette of richly veined marbles, exotic veneers, fabrics and rugs to animate and soften its essentially white interiors." Integrating views of the surrounding landscape into a minimalist home is essential to making it feel warm Gorst says his project, Sandpipers, a house in rural Surrey, which boasts many floor-to-ceiling windows, channels this aesthetic: "Its transparency opens itself confidently to the outside world with the exterior landscape replacing the stencilled wallpapers of the 19th Century. Its walls are white, its flooring made of bare polished concrete and the window frames are metal. Yet its interior is warm, thanks to oak panelling, paintings and leather-covered furniture, such as the LC1 chair, co-designed by modernists Le Corbusier, Charlotte Perriand and Pierre Jeanneret." Oak panelling and leather-covered furniture create a warm feel in a house in rural Surrey, UK (Credit: James Gorst Architects) Oak panelling and leather-covered furniture create a warm feel in a house in rural Surrey, UK (Credit: James Gorst Architects) Danish interior design studio Space Copenhagen also links indoors and out when dreaming up minimalist interiors. "We prefer sheer fabrics for curtains and blinds that allow for outside daylight to filter softly into spaces," says Signe Bindslev Henriksen, co-founder of the company, who sums up its style as "poetic modernism". She tells BBC Culture: "Translucency avoids creating a hard boundary between inside and outside. Overall, we choose natural, tactile, organic materials – wood, stone, leather, linen, warm-toned metals and exposed plaster – and subdued, earthy colour tones." For David Montalba, founder of Montalba Architects, which has offices in Los Angeles and Lausanne, Switzerland, integrating views of the surrounding landscape into a minimalist home is essential to making it feel warm. "The landscape can be a house's rural setting or a courtyard with paving and planting, as found within a triple-height atrium at our project Vertical Courtyard House in LA," says Montalba, who grew up in Switzerland and the Carmel area of California. He is influenced by the Southern Californian regionalist architecture of Irving Gill, whose early 20th-Century houses featured simple interiors, plain fireplaces and skylights, and George Brook-Kothlow, who incorporated an abundance of wood into his houses. "Engaging with the outdoors helps soften a minimalist home, as do bookshelves, art and textiles. In one living space at Vertical Courtyard House, a wall-hung textile piece by Canadian artist Brent Wadden adds warmth and texture." Comfort zone And interior designer Rukmini Patel has created a warmly minimalist living room for a home in Stratford-upon-Avon, using colours and materials inspired by nature. "My client, who has a house with a garden, expressed a wish for the interior to connect with the outdoors," she says. "When creating a cosy minimalist home, I feel it's important to use a multitude of natural materials, textures and colours that engage the senses. For the living room I chose autumnal tones – rust, burnt orange and olive green – and wicker and wood to evoke nature. I opted for wood flooring, echoing this with wood, rather than colder metal or glass furniture, and a warm peachy cream shade for the walls. I also plumped for a thick, tactile Berber rug that is calming and relaxing when you sink your feet into it." Smith believes a warmly minimalist interior can be achieved simply by combining a limited number of contrasting textures: "Play with the juxtaposition of opposites as transitioning from one to the other heightens the senses. Imagine walking barefoot on a hard smooth floor, then stepping on to a soft textured rug, and the feeling of warmth and luxury that brings." Interior designer Rukmini Patel created a "cosy minimalist" interior with rattan and wood details (Credit: Megan Taylor) Interior designer Rukmini Patel created a "cosy minimalist" interior with rattan and wood details (Credit: Megan Taylor) Bathrooms can look especially cold due to their hard surfaces but subtle touches can warm them up. For an understated bathroom in a Victorian home in Hampstead, Katy Manolescue, founder of Article Design Studio, chose nuanced, pale tones, such as "clotted cream, biscuit and stone", while vanity units were topped with speckled terrazzo that enlivens the space. Tiles with a warm white glaze were paired with biscuit-toned grout for a warmer look, while pewter and bronze fittings were chosen instead of chilly-looking silver finishes. Designers are demonstrating now that minimalist homes can combine clarity with comfort and practicality with style Smith advises choosing neutral paint colours, but judiciously: "Minimal interiors are typically neutral and airy, creating a relaxing environment. But neutral paints are often more challenging to get right than more saturated hues. It's essential to get the right undertone when selecting a neutral paint colour as this impacts on a room's atmosphere. Neutrals with a red undertone work well in light-deprived spaces as they warm them up. They also accentuate the beauty of natural materials, such as stone and leather. Standard pure brilliant whites tinged with a cold blue tone are overly stark and should be avoided." Yet Smith believes minimalism and accents of bright colour aren't mutually exclusive: "Introduce strong colour, albeit sparingly," she counsels. "Opt for a single statement piece of furniture like a mustard or orange upholstered sofa, which instantly adds warmth. Coloured chairs around a table make a dining area inviting." That said, she adds, bulky unused furniture make a space look lifeless. "A large dining table is great when it's a hive of activity but makes a space feel empty if unoccupied. I arrange pieces, such as ceramics, on mine when it's not used so it looks less static." According to Smith, the modern minimalist home needn't exclude visible "objects or belongings", although she advises displaying them in an ordered fashion. "I've used a giant grid of pigeonholes to show my collection of objects, which ties everything into one focused statement. I also like a single shelf with a collection of objects displayed in a linear row. Placing a shelf high up in an unexpected place, such as above a doorway, adds an element of surprise and humour in minimal settings." Interior designers and architects also recommend including vintage furniture in rooms for a cosy feel. "Mid-century furniture creates a welcome sense of familiarity and nostalgia," says Montalba. "In the entrance hall of Vertical Courtyard House is a bench by French modernist architect Jean Prouvé." The Vertical Courtyard House in LA has a light, airy aesthetic but also has character (Credit: Montalba Architects) The Vertical Courtyard House in LA has a light, airy aesthetic but also has character (Credit: Montalba Architects) Many designers believe lighting is a vital ingredient in warmly minimalist interiors. "Lighting completely changes a minimal space's ambience," says Smith. "Fragmented light projected through perforated metal or woven-cane lampshades becomes magical in pared-back interiors, adding subtle, ever-changing animation throughout the day." It may have seemed, not long ago, that reductive, stripped-down minimalist interiors had no future, that they represented a stylistic cul-de-sac. But architects and designers are demonstrating now that minimalist homes can combine clarity with comfort and practicality with style. [divider] [WSW footer logo]( [divider] You are receiving this e-mail because you have expressed an interest in the Financial Education niche on one of our landing pages or sign-up forms on our website. If you {EMAIL} received this e-mail in error and would like to report spam, simply send an email to abuse@wallstreetwizardry.com. You’ll receive a response within 24 hours. This ad is sent on behalf of InvestorPlace Media at 1125 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21201. 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