CORN & GRASS
Created from the husks of native multicoloured Mexican corn – which are peeled from the cob, ironed flat and glued onto a backing textile – totomoxtle is a unique, sustainable material that is cut into interlocking pieces and assembled like marquetry. (It can also be used on furniture or objects including tables, lamps, room dividers and vases). ‘I describe it as something that sits between a wallpaper and a wood veneer,’ says London-based Mexican designer Fernando Laposse, who developed the material as a way of regenerating traditional agricultural practices, preserving biodiversity and creating a new income for the region’s farmers. ‘It’s sold by the metre and many people, if they don’t want to put the tiles directly onto the wall, apply them onto a plywood panel instead. That way, it almost looks like an art piece’ (price on application; fernandolaposse.com).
Of course, corn isn’t the only renewable botanical fibre used for decorative purposes. Mark Alexander’s ‘Grasscloth’ wallcoverings include seagrass (£374 per roll; markalexander. com), which, he says, ‘brings nuances of tone and texture’, while at Alternative Flooring, the range of carpets includes sisal, jute and coir (fibre from the outer husks of coconuts). ‘Sisal, which comes from the agave sisal plant, is good for high-traffic areas such as the stairs, but we’re also seeing it as a rug or runner. Go for a pattern with a fleck in it that can hide dirt, and blot spillages straight away,’ advises creative director Lorna Haig (from £55.95 per sq m; alternativeflooring.com).