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Walls Go Zen

By Jeremy Bloom on Thursday, March 27th, 2008

Image: Walls Go Zen

Zen Ocean Plaster. Manufactured by Aimori.

There’s something wonderful about Japanese aesthetics… the clean lines, natural materials and colors.

Zen Ocean Plaster from Aimori adds a few more of my favorite things:

First, it goes on instead of paint, so you eliminate a source of VOCs and toxins, and the material itself breathes, deodorizing and resisting mold.

Second, it’s not manufactured from substances that have to be mined from the landscape, like clay - it’s made from scallop shells, a natural by-product of the seafood industry in Date, Japan. Two hundred thousand tons of scallop shells used to be thrown away every year; instead, they’re now recycled into this natural building product.

Finally, it’s gorgeous. The natural opalescence of the scallop shells comes through in the glossy finish, unlike matte traditional plaster; and there are 16 natural color options, from natural white and wheat to exotic plum and cherry blossom.

And it goes on quickly and simply in a single coat. They’ve even got a YouTube video showing a wall being plastered in just five minutes…

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Jeremy Bloom has been writing about truth, beauty and other such nonsense for more than 20 years. He has worked both in building and design, at places such as Barn Raisers, a not-for-profit construction company, and Lunar Logic, a software development firm. Somewhere in his life, he was also a contractor and carpenter. Believe it or not, his lodging history is as varied as his work experience - after living in New York City, Jerusalem, Toronto, Santa Monica and Portland (as in Oregon), he recently moved to the eco-paradise of Powell River, British Columbia, north of Vancouver. He lives by the ocean with his fiance, Lyra, and their cats Navi and Sylvanus.

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