The Value of Authenticity
One doesn’t need to look any further than product and material manufacturing to find evidence of the handcrafted trend happening in commercial interiors. Whether it’s engineered wood flooring that’s designed to look aged or “hand-scraped” or industrial furniture and fixtures that appear raw or unfinished, suppliers are blending the best of both worlds to produce products that look beautiful and are extremely durable—and that certainly has its place.
However, what mass-produced products often lack is a sense of authenticity that is inherent in handmade items that is difficult to replicate. “Real, handcrafted things that tell a story and have a reason for being there are going to have a lot more legs than the more ‘surface-y’ imitators—and there’s plenty of imitators,” Holt observes. Products that mimic the real thing will look dated in a matter of a few years, he adds, while authentic materials will last longer—and appear more beautiful—in the end.
Case in point: Holt explains as natural materials change over time, they add another layer of dimension or character that is sometimes unappreciated. “Traditionally you think about things like an oil-rubbed bronze finish, which facilities people hate because they feel like they have to … maintain it but, in fact, what’s beautiful about it is the dope, the oil-rub part, wears off. You start to see the brass aging.”
Likewise, he says when leather handrails age, the oil stains from people’s hands and other imperfections become visible. In historic and older buildings, people tend to appreciate the patina because it feels authentic. However, new products made from natural materials also can be installed in new construction or renovation projects, but they need to be given time to wear naturally.
“It really comes down to convincing your owners or at least the facilities part of your client’s staff that it’s OK for things to age and for them to be imperfect—and no, that’s not ‘messed up’—it’s in the process of ‘patina-ing’,” Holt suggests.
At Lake | Flato Architects, Currie says the firm strives to use materials that are “honest in the way they’re finished. It’s going to be real stone. It’s going to be real wood,” he points out. Because although composite and engineered products do a much better job today of replicating their natural counterparts thanks to advances in manufacturing technology, sometimes you just can’t beat the real thing.
In fact, Currie explains that Lake | Flato includes a complete hands-on workshop
within the studio to create physical mockups of buildings and furniture to give team members a more well-rounded understanding of how things are made. “That’s been a really nice thing to have,” he says. “It’s kind of a push to try to get people away from the computer and more involved in the process of thinking about how things are built, how pieces fit together, learning about the tools and ultimately getting a unique product at the end.”
Not ‘Either-Or’ but ‘Both-And’
Ultimately, the handcrafted movement isn’t about a wholesale rejection of technology—far from it, in fact. It is more about the appreciation for artistry and craftsmanship that adds another dimension to interiors to complement the technological elements that are so pervasive. In other words, it’s not about choosing “either-or,” but rather, incorporating “both-and.”
“I don’t really see the handcrafted trend going away,” Henderson suggests. “I think that the high-tech is definitely here to stay, but I don’t think we’re ever going to see it all high-tech and not some element of the handcrafted—there’s actually a fascination with it.” Citing the popularity of HGTV, for example, she says people are intrigued by things they don’t necessarily know how to do themselves. “Whether it’s people who are doing steel crafting or it’s people who are doing interiors, they’re fascinated by these artisans that have this talent.”
Currie sees technology as a tool to help people work more efficiently rather than an end unto itself. And he concurs that the handmade and the digital will both continue to influence the places we inhabit.
“Humans in general are always going to want spaces that feel a little more authentic and are not totally sterile, so we count on unique furniture pieces or artwork or authentic objects that kind of tell history or have that tactile feel,” he says. “I think there’s a place for both in the future.”