Catherine Murphy Studio

A weekend of stitches, surprises, sunrises, and special people ✨ 🧵It was a joy to make my first visit to NC and @penlandgallery and see Perfection: a question of repair. Meeting old and new friends in the most beautiful setting. 🧵If you are in the vicinity before November 29th, don’t miss it! 🪡 some more deets of the trip in this weeks newsletter 🔗⬆️

🪶 Honoring Native American nations today and the deep bond between them and the Irish people. During An Gorta Mór (The Great Hunger, 1845–1852), the Choctaw and Cherokee Nations despite facing their own Trail of Tears - the mass displacement of Native American tribes (1830-1850) - donated $520 to aid Irish famine victims. That act of solidarity still echoes. Irish historian Diarmaid Ferriter said it best: “The donations showed how far the famine resonated… reaching people 4,000 miles away who had themselves suffered terrible deprivation.” 🪶 In 1919, Éamon de Valera was named honorary chief of the Ojibwe tribe. 🪶 In 1990, Choctaw leaders joined Ireland’s first Famine Walk. 🪶 In 1992, Irish leaders walked with the Choctaw Nation to honor the Trail of Tears. The friendship lives on. This piece from a different tribe,at @metmuseum always draws me back—an homage to Indigenous wisdom, design ingenuity, and breathtaking stitchwork. The following text is from the museum card. Edna Oktokiyuk (Saint Lawrence Yup’ik) Parka. Saint Lawrence Island, Alaska, ca. 1910 Seal intestine, auklet beaks and feathers, tanned leather, polar bear fur, and sinew On loan from the Charles and Valerie Diker Collection The beauty and functionality of this parka honors the animals who gave their lives for its creation. The artist used dried seal intestines to create the luminous parchment-like surface. Beaks and black feathers of the auklet, a small seabird, appear at patterned intervals along hand-stitched seams and provide striking visual contrast; fur trims the hem and cuffs. Effective against wet weather, coats such as this are worn over fur parkas for protection against the wind and snow.

What you can’t see might be harming you ⚠️ From walls to window treatments, many everyday materials are made with toxic chemicals that pollute our indoor environments - and our bodies. That’s why we created the Master Class series. These short, self-paced courses unpack what’s really in the materials around us, why it matters for human and planetary health, and what you can do to make safer, healthier choices - whether you're a designer, builder, or just curious. Learn to see the invisible ➡️ link in bio to explore the series.

We believe the future of building is healthier - for people, for the planet, and for the communities most impacted by design decisions. That’s why we’ve expanded our suite of online education to help architects, designers, builders, and students make informed material choices ⬇️ 🟡 HML Master Classes Short, focused courses that dive deep into urgent topics, like carbon reduction, indoor air quality, and non-toxic design strategies. 🟡 Sustainable Building: A Healthy Materials Framework Our comprehensive certification program lays the groundwork for healthier, low-carbon, and more equitable building practices. All of our courses are CEU-accredited and self-paced - so you can learn on your schedule. We’re building the tools for the next generation of changemakers. Join us. 👉 Comment ENROLL to learn more.

It starts with the materials we choose. From reducing toxic exposures to lowering embodied carbon, every product in a building carries consequences - for human health, for the environment, and for frontline communities. Our online, self-paced certification program, Sustainable Building: A Healthy Materials Framework, gives you the tools to make better decisions at every step of the design and construction process. Learn how to build for health, climate, and equity - starting now. 🔗 Enroll at the link in bio.

Contractors and subcontractors are often first to handle materials that off-gas toxic chemicals, release harmful dust, or shed microparticles. And without the right protections, they risk bringing these exposures home. Our certificate program, Sustainable Building: A Healthy Materials Framework, gives you a foundational understanding of how materials impact health from extraction to installation - and what you can do to reduce harm. This expert-led program is self-paced and CEUs are earned upon completion, making it easy to build material health knowledge on your own schedule. 🟡 Build safer projects - for everyone involved. Enroll through our bio link. *Video Audio features one of the experts in the program: Hank Burr, Safety Manager at GCI General Contractors @gcigc

watercolor It’s been a while since I did one of these. back at a favorite spot, the best bit is at the end #watercolor #watercolour

Acrylic and “latex” paints are the most common paints used globally. But few realize they’re made of plastic components, and over 1 billion gallons are produced each year from fossil fuel–based ingredients. These paints don’t only pollute during manufacturing. Once applied, they off-gas VOCs, shed harmful chemicals, and create a plastic film on surfaces that trap moisture and harm indoor air quality. It doesn’t have to be this way. For centuries, people used mineral- and plant-based paints - like limewash, silicate paints, and linseed oil - that are breathable, durable, and free of petrochemicals. And there are many manufacturers using modern technologies to bring these products back 🟡 Learn what’s in conventional paint, its impact on human health, the climate and our environments, and about a range of better coatings ➡️ HML’s Master Classes are a new, focused learning series on material health, unpacking one topic at a time. 🔗 Link in bio to learn more.

🔎 What if you could reduce or even eliminate toxic chemicals, cut carbon emissions, and select healthier materials - all while creating beautiful, high-performing spaces? From Healthy Materials Lab: a NEW way for architects, designers, and builders to gain expert knowledge on: ✅ How chemicals in building materials impact human health and climate change ✅ Strategies to change practice to reduce carbon emissions across the material life cycle ✅ Smart material selection for healthier, low-carbon, and circular design Your next step toward a healthier built environment is just around the corner with Masterclass, a series of focused, in-depth courses 👀 🔗 Link in bio to enroll.

Every material has a story - and that story doesn’t start at the showroom or end on the job site. It begins with sourcing and stretches through manufacturing, installation, use, and disposal - shaping ecosystems, communities, and our own health along the way. Toxic chemicals like formaldehyde and PFAS aren’t the exception - they’re the norm. And unless we understand the full lifecycle of what we build with, we can’t design a healthier future. Our self-paced online program, Sustainable Building: A Healthy Materials Framework, was made to untangle this complexity. It connects the dots between materials, climate, public health, and social equity - so you can make smarter, safer choices. 🔗 Link in bio to join the course.

You shouldn’t have to choose between comfort and health. The reality is that the materials and products surrounding us every day are often unregulated and filled with toxic chemicals - like flame retardants, which are linked to hormone disruption and other serious health issues, as explained by Laura Vandenberg, Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, featured in our program ⬇️ In Sustainable Building: A Healthy Materials Framework, we unpack how everyday materials in our homes, schools, and workplaces can harm human health - and what we can do to change that. 🟡 Learn from 33+ leading experts in design, science, construction, medicine, and policy
🟡 Understand how materials impact your body, your environment, and your community
🟡 Gain tools to identify safer, more sustainable products ➡️ Registration closes June 13
➡️ 100% online & self-paced ➡️ Certificate + CEUs included Let’s build a healthier future - starting with where we sit.
  🔗 Link in bio to enroll today.

The buildings we design shape more than just space ⬇️ They shape the health of people and the planet, from the chemicals that enter our bodies through everyday exposures to the carbon released across a material’s entire life cycle. The lasting impact of the materials we choose is complex. Our foundational program, Sustainable Building: A Healthy Materials Framework, breaks down that complexity - giving you the knowledge, tools, and expert insight to make informed, health-centered decisions. Whether you're an architect, designer, contractor, engineer, or simply interested - there’s still time to enroll in this self-paced, online program. Class begins May 26 | Registration closes June 13 100% online & self-paced | Certificate + CEUs included 🔗 Enroll from our link in bio.