Nature Squared has been at the cutting-edge of sustainability and social responsibility in natural materials for 18 years now. As a result of their first designer partnership – with award winning British Designer Bethan Gray – comes the launch of Exploring Eden.
With a shared commitment to natural materials, nurturing artisanal craft and sustainability, Nature Squared and Bethan Gray are both thrilled to showcase this ground-breaking and highly innovative collection of furniture and accessories to the public for the very first time.
Although Nature Squared’s surfaces can be found in the majority of the world’s superyachts, their latest venture with Bethan Gray brings a new perspective to furniture with the use of previously undiscovered materials, skills and techniques. Utilising nature’s finest and most beguiling materials, this collaboration brings Bethan Gray’s highly original and elegant designs to fruition. The collection consists of a capiz shell shelving unit, jade and pheasant feather lounge chairs, pearl shell cylindrical stools, with hero items including a scallop shell shell table and a pen shell coffee table.
After significant research and development, Nature Squared have diligently created new engineering solutions. In conjunction with Bethan Gray, that merge traditional artisanal skills with precision furniture making and exquisite design. The inlay process for each item takes many weeks to complete due to the intricate detailing and high quality finish. The results are unlike anything that has ever been created for the furniture market before.
Bethan Gray and Nature Squared’s collaboration marks the coming together of like-minded and passionate people with a shared belief in nurturing craft and sustainability. Bethan Gray is one of Britain’s most celebrated furniture and homeware designers, having been awarded four Elle Creative British Design Awards. Nature Squared’s unparalleled quality of surface applications an creative solutions have been quietly inspiring and transforming the perception of ethically sourced and sustainable design for the past 18 years and used in collaborations with the likes of Rolls Royce, Montblanc and BMW. Employing 200 master craftsmen, they have elevated heritage craft to heirloom quality. They now move from their roots in the bespoke market, to make their work accessible to a wider audience and promote the compatibility of such skills and quality with environmental, cultural and social stewardship.
Bethan Gray says: “When I met Nature Squared co-founders Paul Hoeve and Lay Koon Tan, I knew we were kindred spirits as I heard their story and realised how passionate they are about nurturing craft. The opportunity to work with these incredible materials and apply them to furniture for the first time, has been really exciting, especially as it will bring Nature Squared’s work to the attention of a wider audience and expand their stewardship of Filipino craftspeople in the Philippines”
Lay Koon Tan, Co-Founder and Director of Nature Squared, says of the collaboration: “Creating objects of outstanding beauty and quality is absolutely at the core of ensuring that the materials we work with are recognised and cherished. In Bethan, we have found a like-minded individual and we are delighted to be working with her on this collection. The more we find a market for what we produce, the more we create a virtuous circle of jobs, appreciation for materials that are currently seen as waste, acceptance of sustainable practices and self-belief in our people.”
The exotic but plentiful shells are sourced from Filipino communities with on-going conservation projects. The British Pheasant feathers are a natural by-product from birds that have been sustainably processed for food.
Exploration is at the heart of everything Bethan Gray and Natured Squared do. The Exploring Eden Collection of furniture and accessories is the first expression of their shared passion for discovery, experimentation and pushing the limits of natural materials. Their journey has only just begun.
