Why New Zealand wool is the future of sustainable Architecture and Interior design.

As sustainability, natural materials, and local provenance becoming central to design decision-making, more architects and interior designers in Aotearoa are choosing to specify New Zealand-designed products. We’re still developing what a true Aotearoa design language looks like, and a big part of that journey is not only designing here, but making here—and even more importantly, using materials grown here. Especially wool.

Where sustainability once sat further down the product checklist, conversations with local architects, and other building product brands suggest that it’s now sitting firmly at the top. It’s often the first or second priority in architectural and interior specifications. Aesthetics alone are no longer enough—today, beauty must come with responsibility. Materials must also be able to tell a story. Sustainability and provenance are now fundamental to good design. Just as great architecture responds to its site, materials that are grown, made, and designed locally help ground a project within its environment. They carry the story of Aotearoa—its land, people, and values—into every layer of the space. One material stands out for its beauty, functionality, and provenance in this new design climate: wool. Once considered a material of the past—central to our rural economy in the 1900s—wool is re-emerging as a material of the future. In our rush toward synthetic innovation, we forgot we were sitting on the answer all along. As one classic idiom puts it: "You were looking for your horse and you were sitting on it." Or, to put it more fittingly : "We were searching for the next innovative material to change the world—but we were already wearing it."

Today’s most thoughtful projects are turning toward sensory materials like wool, ceramics, and timber—materials with warmth, natural imperfection, and provenance. These are materials that make a house a home. One local architect described our Wool Hoop pendant as “the softness we didn’t realise we needed.” In a world of hard-edged materials—glass, concrete, steel, timber—wool introduces softness, both literally and visually. It also opens up new possibilities for form. Whether knitted or felted, wool enables sculptural shapes, gentle contours, and soft light diffusion that rigid materials simply can’t achieve. More than just natural, wool is of this place, this country. It reflects the textures and tones of Aotearoa—coastlines, rolling hills, native bush. It pairs effortlessly with local stone, clay, timber, and harakeke flax. It connects us to the whenua (land) not by mimicry, but through its presence. In an era where so many materials feel generic and flat, wool restores the missing sense of place. It reminds us that a building doesn’t just sit on the land—it grows from it.

Wool is one of the few materials in the interiors world that is grown—not mined or manufactured. It’s a naturally regenerative fibre, produced seasonally by sheep across Aotearoa. We currently have 25.3 million sheep—around five per person. Wool grows back year after year and even sequesters carbon as it grows. It is renewable, regenerative, and biodegradable. When sourced from regenerative farms—like our farm partner Palliser Ridge in the Wairarapa—wool supports biodiversity, soil health, and rural economies. It carries value far beyond the product itself. Wool fits beautifully within circular design systems. It can be recycled, or composted at end of life. It requires minimal processing, carries no toxins, and aligns with both biophilic and regenerative design principles. At Lof, our wool is farm-sourced, traceable, and designed to return to the earth when that time comes.

Modern architecture often favours openness and hard surfaces—yet these create echoes and amplify sound. Wool, by contrast, is naturally acoustic-dampening. In homes, workplaces, and hospitality spaces, it reduces reverberation and helps shape quieter, calmer interiors. It’s a material that works invisibly, bringing peace and softness to a space. At Lof, our wool lights are intentionally developed with these properties in mind. Their acoustic performance has been independently tested by the Acoustics Department at the University of Auckland’s Faculty of Engineering.

But wool’s contribution doesn’t stop at sound. It also actively improves indoor air quality by absorbing airborne toxins such as formaldehyde and VOCs—pollutants commonly emitted by conventional building materials. According to AgResearch’s 2015 publication “The Removal of Air Contaminants by Wool,” this absorption can occur within as little as 24 hours. Wool also helps to regulate humidity and temperature, making spaces more comfortable year-round—whether in the damp heat of Auckland or the dry cold of Central Otago. It performs quietly, across seasons and climates, making it an ideal material for healthier, more liveable environments.

Supporting local materials also means investing in local industries. New Zealand’s wool sector generates over $448 million in export revenue each year and plays a vital role in the country’s $14.4 billion agriculture sector. When you choose NZ wool, you’re backing a connected network of growers, scours, spinners, makers, and designers. At Lof, every purchase directly supports not only our small business and farm partners, but also two larger local manufacturers, two family-run businesses in our supply chain, and our Waiheke-based contractors—including local mums who thoughtfully assemble and package each light before it makes its way to you.

The Future is Soft, Local, and Regenerative.
Today, designers are being asked to go deeper: How does this material perform? Where does it come from? Who made it? And what story does it tell in the space? Wool answers all of these—with softness, with science, and with soul. It’s a quiet material with a powerful presence—one that brings together beauty, performance, and sustainability.

Most of all, it belongs here—to this land, our land, Aotearoa New Zealand.

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Explore Lof’s Collection of Wool Lighting here

Made from 100% New Zealand wool and proudly crafted in Aotearoa, our Wool Hoop lights are a natural choice for sustainable, design-led interiors.

Architects & designers: Apply for a trade account for trade pricing, custom options, or to chat about your next project.