Tour an Eco-Warrior’s Studio in an Iconic Lloyd Wright Design

Designer and activist Vicki von Holzhausen is refining the science of eco-friendly materials

It seems not only fitting but poetic that Los Angeles–based designer and eco-preneur Vicki von Holzhausen chose architect Lloyd Wright’s own 1927 studio and residence as the symbolic headquarters of her namesake company, von Holzhausen, a pioneer in the development of high-performance plant-based materials. With its signature concrete blocks of abstracted Joshua trees, the idiosyncratic landmark, designed by the son of the illustrious Frank Lloyd Wright, represents a fusion of structural innovation and reverence for nature. “The design is an homage to the plant, so it’s the perfect spot for us,” says von Holzhausen, who utilizes the space as a showroom, meeting center, and incubator for new ideas. “Here, we use our products to tell the story of material innovation.”

A native of Pasadena, von Holzhausen studied car design at ArtCenter College of Design before muscling her way into the male-dominated auto industry with gigs at Mercedes-Benz and Audi in Germany and at General Motors in the US. “I saw my sketches become real cars on the road, which was thrilling, but there are only so many times you can do that,” she says. “I was raising two little boys and I asked myself, ‘What will be impactful? What will make a difference for coming generations?’ I started with the idea of using a sustainable leather alternative to make accessories—bags, wallets, belts, and so on. But I quickly realized there was so much more opportunity to bring the concept to a bigger market,” she continues.

Determined to make her own eco-conscious materials from scratch, von Holzhausen built her own laboratory, equal parts advanced chemistry and alchemy, in Los Angeles. Her first product, Technik—the one she used to launch her accessories line as well as a collection of watchbands for Apple—was crafted from postconsumer plastics and plants. “But that didn’t solve the problem of petroleum, so we committed ourselves to developing more purely plant-based offerings. To make a meaningful impact on the planet, we had to come up with something we could produce at scale, something genuinely durable and performance-oriented,” she says.

Von Holzhausen’s next product, Banbū, harnessed the strength and sustainability of fast-growing, easily harvested bamboo in an 83 percent plant-based material that biodegrades in landfill in 250 days. With applications ranging from fashion to home furnishings to automotive (the car customization company Unplugged Performance offers a Banbū interior package for Tesla models), Banbū can be embossed with an array of textures to mimic the look of animal leathers. “We can also make it translucent. It doesn’t need to replicate the look of leather, even if that’s what many industries want. Our approach is design-centered as well as tech-centered,” she notes. Her latest innovation, Liquidplant, is a 100 percent plant-based topcoat with broad applications from cereal boxes to hardwood floors.

The von Holzhausen website demonstrates the company’s commitment to high design with case studies showing upholstery applications on iconic furnishings such as a Soriana chair by Afra and Tobia Scarpa and a classic Eames lounge. “Our goal is to be everywhere you would normally find plastic or leather,” the eco-warrior insists. “The possibilities are endless.”

Link to the full article

Story Credits:

Photography: @jasonschmidtstudio

Design: @vonholzhausen

Writing: @mayer.rus

Media Outlet: @archdigest