Often hidden away, this hard-working metal has recently been placed in the spotlight by designers rediscovering its beauty and myriad of valuable properties. In this article, the Copper Development Association (CDA) – part of the Copper Alliance – takes a look at our long-standing love affair with copper, and why it’s now a hot design trend. With studios including Tom Dixon and Buster + Punch leading the way, copper is becoming a familiar sight in the pages of home and interior design magazines. Alongside one of its most well-known alloys – brass (copper and zinc) – it is prized for bringing warmth and colour to interiors. Capable of taking a high polish, the metals can also provide reflective surfaces to bring light and a sense of greater size to a given space.
Malleable and ductile, copper and its alloys are easy to work. Intricate details can be achieved with a wide variety of tools and techniques, a rainbow of colours can be coaxed out of the metals with the application of heat, and if a product needs to stand up to rough treatment, brass offers great resilience – alongside its distinctive golden shine. Another appealing feature of copper is that its colour palette will naturally change over time when exposed to the elements, from its gleaming new form, through to rich browns to the vivid green patina of vintage copper. It can be advanced to, and held at, any stage of its development using a variety of treatments and techniques, offering a wealth of options unique to this metal.
In addition to these familiar properties, copper can also offer a hygiene boost when used unlacquered. It is inherently antimicrobial, meaning it will rapidly eliminate bacteria, viruses and fungi that settle on its surface. It shares this benefit with a range of copper alloys – including brass and bronze – creating a family of metals named ‘antimicrobial copper’.
Antimicrobial copper is appearing in the form of frequently-touched surfaces such as door furniture, taps, light switches and hand rails in hospitals and other healthcare settings. Several companies also offer options for the home, particularly in the kitchen where hygiene is a concern.
Brass door furniture was once a common sight in homes and hospitals alike, but over time other materials supplanted it. Now, designers are taking a fresh look at its aesthetics and superior workability to produce exciting new designs, with architectural ironmongers, such as Philip Watts Design, offering door and furniture handles that give an adventurous, modern twist to an old favourite.
The use of copper mesh and perforated copper sheets offers a new design dimension for buildings. They can be used externally as rainscreens, solar shading and opaque cladding, or internally as partitions, screens and other interior design elements. Transparency can be generated by stretching or piercing copper sheet, or weaving copper wire into a mesh. In sheet form, copper is easy to water-cut and perforate in various ways, and the different shades of colour and surface treatments widen the design possibilities even further.
Designers such as Michael Anastassiades regularly use brass for lighting, from small table lamps through to large-scale, ceiling-mounted room lights. The red metal can also contribute to ‘green design’. The recycling rate of copper is higher than that of any other metal – approximately nine million tonnes are recycled every year, meeting 40% of the world’s copper demand. The recycling process doesn’t result in any loss of properties, so copper can be endlessly recycled, perhaps going from a saucepan to laptop circuitry, building facade to light shade, or plumbing tube to hospital bed rail!