Biogenic materials are derived from living or recently living organisms—plants, animals, fungi, or microbes—and include materials such as timber, straw, hemp, cork, mycelium, and natural fibers. Compared with most fossil-based materials, they offer clear advantages in renewability, carbon storage, and reduced toxicity.

This article highlights how designers and architects are reviving flax as a low-carbon, regenerative material for furniture, flooring, and experimental building systems.

Flax is an ancient crop whose fibers were historically used to make linen and whose seeds served as food. When grown in suitable climates, flax can sequester roughly 3.7 tons of CO₂ per hectare, improve soil health, and typically requires no herbicides, pesticides, or irrigation in regions such as Western Europe.

After being displaced by cotton and synthetic fibers, flax cultivation is resurging in Europe as fashion and design industries seek locally sourced natural materials. One of the designers featured, Christien Meindertsma, is even reimagining linoleum—made from linseed oil—as a recyclable, clay-like architectural material, experimenting with regional formulations and sculptural applications.

While flax-based materials remain far from mainstream in construction, continued design innovation and growing interest from both fashion and architecture suggest that flax could once again become a key regenerative resource in products and the built environment.

ARTICLE: Designing a Regenerative World with Flax

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