From 5-7 February Surface Design Show 2019 will take place at London’s Business Design Centre to provide a platform for architects, designers and specifiers to explore the best in interior and exterior surface materials, lighting design, development and innovation.
For more than ten years Surface Design Show has been the place where industry professionals immerse themselves in the latest materials for the built environment, gain new insights and network with likeminded designers, architects and suppliers. Each year Surface Design Show introduces a ‘Focus’ into the event. The chosen focuses for 2019 are the workplace and the public realm, both of which have great impact on our daily lives. Through a series of profiles in the run-up to the show, and in presentations at the show, these two specialist areas of design will be explored from a surface specific point of view, providing engaging insight into the best and latest products, materials and applications that impact working and public realm environments.
Introduced for 2019 is the New Talent area, curated by internationally acclaimed speaker and forward thinking Chief Creative Director at Trendease International, Jennifer Castoldi. ‘All of the New Talent exhibitors are up-and-coming designers in the surface and materials sector who have been in the industry for five years or less. Participants include experimental materials studio MUUNA; Laura Evans Designs; material & surface designer Orla Lawn and artist & designer Tomasz Maker. Jennifer says of the New Talent participants: “With my team at Trendease, travelling around the globe scouting new talent, innovations, and market directions, we develop a network of design professionals that help take the industry towards a brighter future. For our collaboration with the Surface Design Show we are pleased to present a collection of startups who will inspire the attendees of the show. Many of the new talents are available for commissions and some have their own product lines, while others are providing services like micro manufacturing. By supporting the talented new market entrants, Surface Design Show will be highlighting the freshest ideas in material design”.
Creative design atelier MUUNA (NT/5) produce bespoke fabric developments. The studio takes a progressive approach to surface design, combining specialist skills such as hand weaving and embroidery with unique processes to create innovative and sensory surfaces. MUUNA can be commissioned to undertake specific projects or collaborations and can custom produce materials for an array of applications such as encapsulations, wall coverings and installation.
Charlotte Jade (NT14) offers an eye-catching range of hand drawn designs that celebrate the fascinating plants and animals living on our planet. The ethos behind the company is simple: to reconnect us with the natural world. Based on the concept of Biophilic Design, the Charlotte Jade collections focus on the benefits of bringing elements of nature back into our lives, to reduce stress, aid mental wellbeing and improve productivity. By celebrating the shapes, form, patterns, textures and colours prevalent in our natural environment, Charlotte Jade brings the outside in and restores our affinity with nature.
In her work Enis Akiev (NT/8) is focused on post-consumer plastic waste as a resource. Her Plastic Stone Tiles, created in a process inspired by rock formation, increase the value of disposable packaging waste and make it accessible as an aesthetically pleasing and durable material. Through her work Enis hopes to “give impulses to rethink the general understanding of resources and to stimulate an exploration of materials”.
Inspired by the luxurious marble veneers of early 20th century interiors, Spelk by surface designer Orla Lawn (NT/2) is a fresh take on decorative plywood panelling. Through developing a colourful handcrafted finishing technique, Orla elevates a common economical building material to an elegant surface product. Spelk has a splintery look with a silky-smooth feel, inviting you to explore through touch.
Inspiring visitors to get tactile, Yasmine Kiris’ Jesmonite and plaster works (NT/6) are, as she describes “there to be interacted with. To feel the bumps and bows, as you would find on the human body on various scales.”
New Talent is supported by Material Source, the new magazine for architects and designers dedicated to exploring a wealth of materials, products and interiors.
Registration for Surface Design Show is free and open now at https://www.surfacedesignshow.com/