Four materials fit seamlessly with the 2011 slant toward honesty and green accountability – concrete, bamboo, cardboard, and exaggerated wood grain. Look for these surfaces in 2011 because they’ll be showing up everywhere.

CONCRETE: Watch for concrete’s mixture of cement and sand to bring porous grey surfaces into interior spaces. Counters, furniture, tile, lampshades, pendant lighting, floors, and planters will boast an honest, raw industrial aesthetic.

BAMBOO: Last year was crowded with bamboo furniture, flooring, clothing, and even electronics. This fast growing member of the grass family is set to take the stage again in 2011, and will be sprinkled throughout the industry in both wooden and fabric form.

CARDBOARD: Recycled cardboard will be present in large doses of corrugated whimsy. Everything from grandfather clocks to rocking chairs will be created from the fibrous form of cardboard. The malleable material will be a strong presence in lighting and accessories, too.

EXAGGERATED WOOD GRAIN: Exaggerated wood grain will lend itself to furniture, wallpaper, and accessories. The celebration of nature’s intricacies within different wood species will usher in an age of acclaim for imperfect wooden goods. Acacia and olive tree wood are two examples of woods beautifully wrought with inconsistent growth patterns.

Keep an eye out for these materials in 2011 along with the rest of the 2011 shelter trends.

(Images from the portfolio of photographer Ditte Isager.)

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