Kyo Ng

Crafted by nature: How local materials are shaping modern design from dining to decor

There’s a particular kind of calm that settles in when you enter a space shaped by intention. It’s not about grand gestures or polished perfection anymore. It’s about simplicity, texture, and a quiet depth that makes you want to breathe a little slower. Natural materials, thoughtfully sourced and beautifully made, are redefining how we see and feel our surroundings.

Modern design is stepping away from the synthetic and embracing the soulful. The materials we surround ourselves with are beginning to tell stories: stories about place, people, and process. Whether it’s the pale softness of Japanese hinoki wood or the tactile warmth of British clay, the new aesthetic is all about connection. Connection to craft, to history, and to the land itself.

Hinoki wood, revered in Japan for centuries, has long been associated with temples, baths, and places of quiet reflection. With its subtle scent and golden tone, it introduces a sense of serenity wherever it’s used. Today’s designers aren’t just drawn to its beauty. They are responding to its emotional presence. Paired with soft linens, unglazed ceramics or dark iron accents, it bridges traditional minimalism with contemporary warmth.

And that’s where something as unassuming as a London bento box becomes unexpectedly powerful. These meals, portioned with balance and care, offer more than convenience. They represent a lifestyle. The box itself becomes an object of beauty. Sustainably made, often with materials that echo the values of the meal within. A good bento isn’t rushed. It’s a carefully assembled moment of nourishment and balance, and it reflects the same ethos that’s shaping interiors: less flash, more feeling.

This interconnectedness between food and design isn’t accidental. It comes from a broader movement towards conscious living. People want their environments and their experiences to mean something. And when you begin to notice the way your tea mug feels in your hand, or how the grain of wood runs across your tabletop, it changes how you relate to the objects you use every day.

Even in the world of home accessories and small-scale design, this ethos is taking hold. More people are choosing to buy fewer things, but better things. Items made by artisans, using natural materials and age-old methods, are beginning to replace the mass-produced. It’s a shift in mindset as much as style. Quality over quantity. Narrative over novelty.

There’s also a sustainability element that can’t be ignored. Locally sourced materials and handcrafted goods often come with a lighter environmental footprint. But more than that, they’re made to last. And when something has a story behind it, when you know who made it and how, you’re far more likely to treasure it. To repair it. To pass it on.