Nested Living shortlisted for Surface Design Awards 2026
We’re pleased to share that Nested Living has been shortlisted as a finalist in the Surface Design Awards 2026 with the awards taking place on 4 February at the Surface Design Show at the Business Design Centre in London.
Our Redstones project was recognised for its creative and responsible use of surface materials, craftsmanship, and performance-led regenerative retrofit approach.
You can view the full shortlist on the Surface Design Show website.
A material-led retrofit rooted in place
Redstones is a full retrofit of a 1930s semi-detached family home in Oxfordshire, guided by a simple but powerful idea: to give new life to existing materials and create a home deeply rooted in place.
At the heart of the project is a set of 200-year-old reclaimed oak barn posts, salvaged from a local Oxfordshire farm. These timbers were dismantled, milled, and crafted in our workshop into bespoke kitchen cabinetry and a dining table, forming both the physical and conceptual centre of the home.
Rather than imposing a fixed aesthetic, we allowed the oak’s natural grain, knots, and imperfections to guide the design. This material honesty continues throughout the house, shaping joinery, furniture, and detailing, and creating a sense of warmth, authenticity, and continuity between past and present.
Other materials were chosen with equal care: brass for its longevity and evolving patina; reclaimed marble for tactile contrast; concrete used selectively for its thermal mass; and London plane timber, felled in Brighton where the client’s family has roots, crafted into a bespoke bathroom vanity with personal meaning and provenance.
Design, making, and performance as one system
Redstones reflects our integrated design-and-make approach. All joinery was designed and crafted in-house, allowing design intent, material behaviour, and making techniques to inform one another.
A glueless modular construction system was used across the kitchen, utility, and boot room, enabling future adaptability and disassembly. Material cutting was optimised to reduce waste, with offcuts repurposed via our on-site biomass boiler to heat the workshop.
The project forms part of a wider Passivhaus-informed eco-retrofit, achieving 3 air changes per hour, surpassing typical new-build standards. Triple glazing, airtight detailing, and minimal thermal bridging significantly improve comfort and energy efficiency, while a concrete floor provides thermal mass to stabilise internal temperatures year-round.
Low-VOC paints, natural oils, wax finishes, and breathable plasters ensure excellent indoor air quality and support long-term health and wellbeing.
A home designed to evolve with its occupants
Functionality, accessibility, and user experience were central from the outset. The layout was reconfigured to improve flow and bring natural light into the heart of the home, while allowing openness or privacy as family life requires.
A step-free ground floor and generous circulation ensure the home can accommodate future wheelchair use, supporting independence and adaptability as needs change. Built-in storage, durable surfaces, and thoughtful zoning create a calm, practical environment that is easy to live in.
The result is a flexible, nurturing family home one that balances performance with emotional comfort and everyday usability.
Regeneration as practice, not a tick-box
Sustainability at Redstones was approached as a whole-life journey, not a checklist. Material reuse, circular construction, local sourcing, and long-term performance were considered together, alongside social and wellbeing outcomes.
This approach reflects our purpose at Nested Living: Design for Life.
It has guided our work from the beginning, designing homes as living systems that support people, place, and the wider environment over time.
Being shortlisted for the Surface Design Awards recognises not just a single project, but an approach rooted in craft, care, and regeneration.
We look forward to the awards evening in February and to continuing this work through future projects.