Nika Vopilova

Category: Interior

Competitions: Home Competition 2026

Double Decker Bus 'Me' (Seasonal Archive; Autumn 2025 in Leaf Leather) explores how everyday acts of attention can transform overlooked natural materials into lasting objects. Developed through the daily collection of fallen leaves during a two-hour commute across London, the project reimagines a material typically regarded as seasonal waste as a translucent leaf leather shade that preserves not only the physical qualities of autumn, but also the atmosphere, memory, and rhythms of a particular place and time. The project began in Putney, where fallen leaves were routinely gathered into municipal green bags for public safety, standing in contrast to the growing "Leave the Leaves" movement that recognises the ecological value of retaining leaf litter. At first glance, the green bags suggested a return to natural cycles, yet on handling them they felt indistinguishable from conventional plastic, prompting me to question how the collected leaves were ultimately processed and whether they were truly re-entering ecological circulation. Collecting a small number of these leaves before their removal became a quiet daily ritual, one that continued after relocating closer to university and gradually evolved into a material archive of seasonal change, repeated journeys, and careful observation. Rather than documenting autumn through photographs, the project records it materially. The leaves retain their cellulose patterns, veins, textures, and imperfections, becoming a surface through which light reveals both the character of the material and the passage of time. Inspired by a living space with limited natural daylight, the project also explores how illumination can reconnect interior environments with the changing qualities of autumn mornings, overcast afternoons, golden hour, and evening. The current prototype uses a commercially available tunable lighting system to communicate this seasonal lighting concept while the design of an integrated fixture and bespoke lighting calibration remains in development. Rather than a fixed lighting solution, this forms an ongoing exploration into how natural materials and light can work together to heighten our awareness of season, atmosphere, and the passing of time. The central contribution of the project lies in the development of leaf leather as a natural material for interior lighting, demonstrating how a seasonal and often overlooked resource can be transformed into a durable object that encourages longevity, repair, and renewed appreciation of natural cycles. Designed as a material to be cared for over time, the leaf leather can be maintained, nourished, preserved flat, and archived between seasons before returning to use as a lampshade. Ultimately, when it reaches the end of its life, it is intended to return naturally to the earth, extending the project's commitment to circularity beyond the object itself. Seasonal Archive proposes a slower approach to design—one shaped by observation, repetition, and care. Rather than treating natural materials as resources to be consumed, it explores how sustained attention and thoughtful transformation can extend their value, preserving not only the material itself but also the memories, places, and seasons it carries.