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Glossary entry

French term or phrase:

des matériaux bruts

English translation:

simplicity of materials/simple materials

Added to glossary by Colin Morley (X)
Jul 10, 2012 10:57
11 yrs ago
4 viewers *
French term

des matériaux bruts

French to English Marketing Tourism & Travel Hotel website
Des lignes épurées, ***des matériaux bruts***, du design et de la lumière. Bref une invitation à la détente dans une ambiance cosy. Nos chambres sur rue donnent à vos séjours business ou loisirs du « peps' » et du dynamisme ! Elles offrent tout le confort des équipements modernes et une literie de très grande qualité. Atmosphère authentique mais esprit ultramoderne !

I hardly think they would want me to translate it as "raw materials" here - gives me an image of a slag heap in the middle of the room and a definite chemical odour. What do you think they're after? Natural materials? or pehaps it has exposed beams or brickwork? (it's a site under construction so the pictures aren't helpful.)

Any suggestions to kick off the thought processes gratefully accpeted.
Proposed translations (English)
3 +7 simplicity of materials
3 +7 natural materials/natural decor
3 +2 materials in their natural state
4 +1 organic materials
4 pure materials
4 Rustic materials
4 unfussy materials
4 earthy materials
4 quality material
3 industrial materials
4 -1 raw materials
Change log

Jul 15, 2012 21:17: Colin Morley (X) Created KOG entry

Discussion

Sheila Wilson (asker) Jul 10, 2012:
@ writeaway I suspect the photos on the site are from stock (the site is not finished in French) as all bedrooms appear identical, although care has been taken in the descriptions to make them sound quite different
Sheila Wilson (asker) Jul 10, 2012:
I should add... "Atmosphère authentique mais esprit ultramoderne !" appears later on

Proposed translations

+7
6 mins
Selected

simplicity of materials

...i.e. more "zen" in keeping with today's trends...

Note from asker:
This was nicely ambiguous, thanks
Peer comment(s):
agree writeaway : looking at the www picture, it's simplicity or thereabouts
33 mins
Thanks
agree Letredenoblesse
53 mins
Thanks
agree kashew : Dare I try to improve on yours? "simple materials palette"
1 hr
Thanks
agree Kévin Bernier : After seeing the pictures, I think simplicity fits best. The rooms shown don't have much of a rustic feeling to them.
1 hr
Thanks
agree philgoddard : I think "simple materials" would be better.
3 hrs
thanks
disagree Natalie Pavey (X) : The word 'simple'seems a bit vague to me in relation to design.
3 hrs
Natural may work as well, I agree
agree Just Opera : 'matériaux bruts' = wood, bricks, concrete etc. i.e. 'simple materials'.
4 hrs
thanks
agree Hal D'Arpini
23 hrs
agree Kate Collyer : simple materials
1 day 10 hrs
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Wow, what a lot of suggestion! Thanks to everyone."
+2
10 mins

materials in their natural state

might be one way of getting away from 'raw'!
Peer comment(s):
agree Bertrand Leduc
2 hrs
Merci, Bertrand !
agree axies : or, materials- in- the- raw_of solid construction
14 hrs
Thanks, Manuel!
Something went wrong...
42 mins

pure materials


e.g. in:
Formes contemporaines, lignes épurées, esthétique minimaliste rehaussent l'élégance de SASHA, fabriquée dans des matériaux purs comme le bois, le chrome, le cristal, et avec des finitions précieuses capables de s'intégrer parfaitement dans une décoration [...]
fr.jacuzzi.eu
Contemporary forms, clean lines, minimalist aesthetic enrich the elegance of SASHA, constructed with pure materials, such as timber, chrome, glass and prized finishes that fit in perfectly into all furniture styles.
en.jacuzzi.eu
Something went wrong...
1 hr

Rustic materials

I'm thinking here, since it is referring to materials used in the construction and layout of a bedroom in a hotel, that the meaning of "brut" is closer to rustique. We could translate to "rough" in english, but it would get confused with rough stones, rough diamonds, or random materials in their natural state.

If you google "matériaux bruts" you get images showing you rooms with a rather authentic and rustic feeling to them, so I'm going with that.
Example sentence:

Link shows one of the pictures you get when google "matériaux bruts", which as I said has a very rustic feeling to it.

Reference:

http://www.linternaute.com/nantes/magazine/photo/une-maison-atypique-a-nantes/image/cuisine-240109.jpg

Peer comment(s):
neutral writeaway : look at the www picture of the hotel room. no need to guess / http://hotel-terres-blanches.fr/Francais--Chambres.phtml
4 mins
That's odd I don't see that link anywhere else. Well, I'm unsure then. Terms like "pure" or "natural state" dont seem to fit really. And I'm unsure about my own suggestion aswell.
Something went wrong...
1 hr

industrial materials

The phrase itself could use some work, but I definitely imagine a sort of brick and steel urban-loft style design. The "raw" aspect of these materials conjures images of unpainted and unpolished fixtures and furnishings, a style often referred to as "industrial" among interior designers.
Peer comment(s):
neutral Colin Morley (X) : but for public consumption? Industrial would put me off staying there...
5 hrs
Its an attractive trend for certain tastes. It puts you off, but some people like the feel of an industrial loft. My vote is with organic now though.
Something went wrong...
1 hr

unfussy materials

I've seen this term used in similar contexts.
Reference:

http://zarainteriordesign.ca/style/zen/

http://www.amabiledesign.com/the-amabile-look/home-office/

Peer comment(s):
neutral Tony M : I like the idea, my only qualm is that when 'unfussy' is used with 'material' like this, it so often seems to refer to material in the sense of 'fabric' — i.e. the polar opposite of a Laura Ashley print frock!
4 hrs
neutral Kate Collyer : I like the idea too, but I think anything starting 'un-' sounds a bit stilted here - uncomplicated, unadorned, (plain and) unvarnished - I'd rather go for an affirmation.
1 day 8 hrs
Something went wrong...
+1
1 hr

organic materials

This could be one way of describing this:

"The purity of the lines, the organic materials, the architectural design and the light..."
Example sentence:

"There are also handmade furnishings and quirky designs which use ORGANIC MATERIALS, including bathroom shelves made from slabs of natural oak wood and handcrafted lamps which seem alive through their organic design."

"ll 10 casas have been designed and decorated by Wilbert Das in collaboration with local artisans using traditional building methods, reclaimed and ORGANIC MATERIALS, and Brazilian antiques and art."

Reference:

http://press.designhotels.com/press/press_releases/the_weinmeister

http://uxua.com/casas/overview

Peer comment(s):
agree ajg612 (X)
1 hr
Thank You!
Something went wrong...
+7
1 hr

natural materials/natural decor

especially given the ultra modern feel...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2012-07-10 13:54:06 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

or perhaps minimalist decor (thinking here of the 'New York Loft' style of the hotel)
Peer comment(s):
agree Natalie Pavey (X) : Given that they emphasize the importance of the lighting, I agree that 'natural materials' would fit here. It is also concise as in the original.
2 hrs
agree Wolf Draeger : Natural décor is better (though might be mistaken for the furniture).
3 hrs
agree Yolanda Broad : Natural décor
3 hrs
agree Clarissa Hull : either suggestion, depending on context
9 hrs
agree Gavin Jack : natural materials
12 hrs
agree Hal D'Arpini
22 hrs
agree Kate Collyer : clean lines using natural materials, minimalist design and clever lighting
1 day 8 hrs
Something went wrong...
4 hrs

earthy materials

I'm assuming *matériaux* refers to the walls and floor, resembling stone or natural surroundings, hence "earthy", which also works well in a marketing context.

Not sure I like "materials" so much in EN, though, it has a bit of a building/construction ring to it; would suggest replacing it with something like "feel, quality, texture" or even "surroundings".

Btw, this appears to be somewhat uninspired copy in the FR, room for improvement... :-)
Example sentence:

Simple design, with earthy materials, space and lighting.

A simple design accentuated by earthy textures thrown into soothing relief by ample space and subtle lighting.

Note from asker:
Shhh! My client is a communications agency!
Something went wrong...
15 hrs

quality material

Raw materials is the original sense. In a marketing brochure you may want to add quality raw materials or quality materials to enhance the text. So the sentence could roughly read Quality raw materials designed along pure lines and making best use of light. (Of course, you will need to change this based on context.)
Something went wrong...
-1
20 hrs

raw materials

I think it means the raw materials used to produce a product.
Peer comment(s):
disagree Kate Collyer : The asker specifically ruled this out!
13 hrs
Something went wrong...
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