Acclaimed for combining sustainability with excellent design in custom residences, boutique hotels, and lines of furniture and textiles, renowned designer Campion Platt’s latest project is transforming garbage by-product into a collection of luxury furniture. “You throw something in like a Dr. Seuss, and what comes out the other end is extruded boards/planks that are chemically neutral,” is how Platt describes the Rhino Recycler. Developed by Hartford-based Ecogensus, it turns food and yard organics into the composite materials for Platt’s House of Ecologie line of sustainable luxury furnishings.
Waste reduction and the circular economy have always been essentials of Platt’s approach. “When I started making furniture, my goal was to use local vendors and resources natural to the area, to bring business to the region and to make less of an imprint for materials and transport,” he notes. Using local materials and nearby craftspeople, Platt develops and designs glamorous hotels and creates homes for celebrities such as Meg Ryan and Al Pacino. He has written a book (Made to Order), created a green community at West Virginia’s Greenbrier resort, and is launching affordable housing projects in Sierra Leone.
Platt and his wife live in a one-story Florida beach home he is renovating with a large central pool area for their three teenage children and friends. When finished, the house will feature pieces from the upcoming House of Ecologie collection.
How did your work as an architect evolve into interior design?
Initially, I was renovating smaller apartments. I started with corner settees, then I did all the furniture for my first notable project in Olympic Tower. Hybrid—doing both—became my calling card. My clients would get custom furniture out of the project.
What is the origin of your holistic approach?
I was always into Eastern design and felt that quiet architecture incorporating landscape and natural elements and synergy felt correct. I became a Buddhist. It aligns with my belief in physics, design and several aspects of life.
Why do you embrace the ideas of waste reduction, repurposing refuse, carbon trading?
We’re at an inflection point where sustainability must become the norm, not an option. I’m very concerned. When I grew up, we never had to think about resources not being there in 20 to 30 years.
Luxury is preeminent in your designs. What is your idea of luxury?
It’s about materiality and context—combining fine craftsmanship, contemporary styling and eco-sensitive design.
What aspect of luxury will you bring to waste-derived lumber?
It will be a lot about the tactile quality—a smooth finish, a beautiful sheen. If it’s soft and silky to the touch, you’re drawn to it. Everybody wants that in their life, nobody wants rough. We’re doing test samples now. I need to understand the limits and capabilities of the machine to come up with ideas.
Why do you seek out local craftspeople?
It’s putting money back into the local economy. My best relationships are with local artisans, it’s more of a collaboration. I bring the idea and materiality and let them help with the design. In Telluride, for a bench made of leather, I found a local woman who makes saddles. There’s always a story to tell. Detail and nuance are built in, so there’s the history, not just the design.
Why aren’t you pessimistic about the throwaway world?
I think human ingenuity continues to create solutions; we’ll need some planet-wide global engineering. There will be technology to help, and people are beginning to come around. My kids will have to live through tremendous change.
How do you spend your spare time?
I don’t have much. I chauffeur my children—pick them up at school, soccer, gymnastics, friends’ homes, the beach. I have WiFi in my car so I can continue to work. I love being a father and being engaged in their lives.
What do you learn from your children?
One should never grow up too much. You see the spirit and soul of a child—how growth, understanding and knowledge are kindled—without that you die like a plant without water.