Dezeen Showroom: British brand Clayworks has released a range of wall surfacing informed by the Japanese tradition of mixing straw with clay and plaster to create a textured finish.

Named Arakabe after the artisanal Japanese plastering technique, the collection was designed for use on interior walls in residential and commercial buildings.

"Straw has been one of the essential building materials in Japan since the seventeenth century," Clayworks said.

"The use of clay with straw in it brings warmth and depth into a space, while the organic elements are deeply appreciated by Japanese culture."

Clayworks worked with a variety of different straw colours and weights as well as different aggregates to create the Arakabe range.

The team experimented with woody roots and different clay mixes, creating new finishing materials that "incorporate local, organic and abundant resources".

Adding straw to the clay gives the material greater flexibility, strength and moisture resistance, as well as acting as a carbon sink.

"Straw is also one of the materials making the world a better place, protecting biodiversity and helping to capture carbon," the brand explained.

The Arakabe range was previously used for the interiors of Walmer Yard, a residential development in London designed by Peter Salter and Fenella Collingridge.

Here, charcoal-coloured clay plaster with yellow gold straws was used to create a warm, inviting interior.

Product: Arakabe clay plaster
Brand: Clayworks
Contact: [email protected]

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