The open plan living room and kitchen areas utilize natural materials, from reclaimed oak flooring to custom-made cabinetry. The Oscar sofa by Matthew Hilton from Future Perfect marks off the living room area.

The cabin’s basic structure was reclaimed from a barn built in 1840 and purchased from Heritage Barns out of Waco, Texas. The same company supplied the recycled wood that clads the walls, though the ceiling boards are new. “We stained them with a gray wash to match the tones of the post and beam, but with a more clean look,” Bronee explains. The concrete floors were polished and waxed for a sleek finish.

Steel pipe columns and wood beams were recycled from a 1960s church carport; the old-growth fir sliding screens, fence, and gate originate from a heavy timber warehouse in Pioneer Square; the aluminum-and-glass garage door is reclaimed from a downtown condo conversion; and the studio’s shelving and track lighting is courtesy of workstations from another downtown building.

In addition to consulting major companies on material use, Material ConneXion has a subscription-based library with over 7,500 innovative materials.

Around 40 materials are introduced into the library each month, after undergoing a jury review process.

The company has offices in nine cities around the world, including Korea, Sweden, and Italy.

With its green features, durable materials, and clean-lined minimalism, the house represents the new generation of building for its mostly colonial neighborhood.

Architect Stefano Girodo explains the building has a “completely prefabricated and modular structure.” It was built using recyclable and environmentally friendly materials and designed to ensure easy mechanical assembly once on site.

The house architects Teresa Sarmiento and Nicolas Tovo designed for their family—including 1-year-old Clara, for whom the structure is named—is a celebration of recycled materials.

Materials Village presentation on material innovation. See it at Triennale Di Milano, Viale Alemagna 6.

A view of the Chiang Mai office.

Architect Michael Cobb used Douglas fir harvested from the site throughout the house, such as on a sliding door outfitted with Swiss Rod SS hardware from the Real Carriage Door Company.

Reclaimed materials: Recycled building materials can cut construction costs while simultaneously forging a link with the past. “Be alert about what is being taken down in the area and talk to homebuilders,” Campbell says. “There may be more opportunities than you think.”

From the outside, the house appears as a composition of cubic volumes that barely hints at its reused nature. Expanses of glass, skylights, terraces, and balconies all strengthen the relationship between inside and outside and make the interior uniformly light.

A rare interior hallway space is made and furnished almost entirely with reclaimed materials. Materials for doors, windows, and the slatted wooden floor were collected from demolished Saigon homes and customized to fit the residence.

Maintaining a connection to their wooded backyard was an important consideration for the Edstroms. The back wall is designed to let in as much light and air as possible.

For the walls surrounding the living room fireplace, Cobb specified high-volume fly ash concrete made with a by-product of burning coal in power plants that usually ends up in landfills.

“Things that have the virtue of being simple have become some of the most complicated forms of construction,” Cobb says.

In the kitchen, Santa Rosa–based Reliance Fine Finishing applied a conversion varnish tinted with a green hue.

The panel of judges awarded Best Material to Mosa.

Kapla small unit by Cedric Ragot for Roche Bobois. The mix-and-match buffet is available in a wide array of material combinations (two types of wood and 30 colors of matte lacquer, plus chromed steel).

FolioRED by Studio ColonyExhibited at Satellite, a section for emerging designers, this room divider prototype by Stephanie Estoppey and Ozan Alaca is made from porcelain. The subtle red lines were created by capillaries in the material that absorb color.

At the Dwell Materials Lab, show goers had the opportunity to touch, feel, and learn about common—and not so common—construction materials.

More from the Materials Lab.

In contrast from the sleek matte exterior, the vehicles interior combines tobacco brown leather with ash grey sofa-style fabric seats.

Dent directs material research for the company and oversees the voting process that introduces new materials into the libraries.

The entrance introduces the home’s main materials: steel, glass, wood, and concrete.

Vignettes of contrasting colors, materials, and shapes frame every corner. A one-of-a-kind chair by Peter Shire sits in the hallway; near the sculptural staircase is a sconce for Yamagiwa and a sterling silver centerpiece for Memphis, both by Sottsass.

Ingrid Blans and Tjibbe Knol relax outside their home, which is made of various recycled materials such as dismantled cable reels, old billboards, and broken umbrellas. Inside, a vintage shop display case exhibits a small fraction of the couple's collection of art and objects.

Wood + Stone

The Stem Hanging Planter presents an elegant play of materials. The planter is made from a spun aluminum bowl that rests on an interior stem—a steel rod that travels through the base of the bowl, through the plant’s soil, and above the bowl where it hangs from a waxed black cotton cord. The result is a decidedly sculptural piece that carefully balances components to create an artful hanging planter.

Rich Brilliant Willing’s Quart Table Lamp is comprised of simple cylindrical volumes. Like a structure of stacked building blocks, the stone base, wood stem, and powder-coated aluminum shade evolve from each other to create a spare, functional fixture with a minimal footprint. The organic nature of the materials—stone, wood, and metal—coupled with minimalist, modern shapes, make Quart an ideal blend of natural and refined design.

The Deadstock Catherine Table Lamp from Castor is a stunning example of the possibilities of mixing materials. Centered around a cylindrical shade salvaged from a defunct lighting factory, the Catherine Lamp is supported by a precisely machined brass stem and cantilever, which is supported by a Carrara marble base that was salvaged from the First Canadian Place in Toronto. The structure of the lamp enables it to be adjusted, making it easy to redirect light as needed.

An exploration of the possibilities of materials, Souda’s Kreten Side Table employs stretch fabric as a mold for fiberglass reinforced concrete. Due to the nature of the materials—the stretch of the fabric and the weight of the concrete, each table takes on a distinctive form. The result is a truly one-of-a-kind side table that marries both industrial qualities and an organic sensibility.