Up to 27,000 architects, designers, and members of the public attended 100% Design at Olympia this year. The UK’s largest design trade show ran from 20-23 September as the commercial heart of the London Design Festival. Combined visitor spending power reached more than £3.5bn.
100% Design © Sophie Mutevelian
More than 400 exhibitors from across the globe showcased their designs, with many using 100% Design to launch new products to market. Highlights included a new collection for Gufram from star British designer Michael Young, who when opening the show called 100% Design “one of the most interesting design events both in London and worldwide.”
100% Design © Sophie Mutevelian
Daren Newton, Event Director at Media 10, comments: “There was an intense creative buzz about the show this year, and we were really pleased with the mix of brands across the board. The Interiors section, in particular, looked the best I’ve seen it in years and the feedback we’ve had so far is that the quality of visitors was high and with a focus on project specification.”
100% Design © Sophie Mutevelian
Interiors
Interiors, the longest-running section of the show, saw strong presentations from new and established international brands. Italian furniture brand Magis showcased its new Sequoia stools, designed by Norwegian studio Anderssen & Voll to conjure up the idea of an idealized tree or a bicycle. First seen in Milan, these polyester-painted steel seats made for a colorful display at the front of the show. Recently launched Singaporean brand Ipse Ipsa Ipsum showed its debut collection of furniture, lighting, and accessories in marble, and brass, designed by Nathan Yong.
Pad Home – Graypants Hive Scraplights
100% Design veterans Pad Home revealed new collaborations with Mind the Gap and Bethan Gray, as well as stunning new Hive and Nest scrap lights by Graypants, handcrafted from recycled cardboard. Director Nik Fulton said, “In what is a busy week in London Design Festival, the show continues to provide a great platform for companies to meet people and showcase products.”
Emerald Faerie by Fiona Gall
Lighting
In lighting, Vita Copenhagen’s lampshades embodied the current trend for botanical forms, with the floral VITA Carmina and VITA Aluvia, as well as the new VITA Eos Up. British lighting manufacturer Original BTC’s new Minster wall lights combined a prismatic glass shade mounted on a Stoke-on-Trent-made bone china wall bracket, to create a stylish yet discreet light with high levels of diffuse illumination – perfect for kitchens, bathrooms, and hallways, while French lighting manufacturer Designheure made an impact with their new geometric Mozaik range, designed by Davide Oppizzi.
Designheure, Mozaik Range, Designed by Davide Oppizzi
Design London
Design London, a showcase of the very best in high-quality design, detail, and craftsmanship, returned to Olympia for the second time as part of Media 10’s international design showcase that includes Design Shanghai and Design Joburg. With Michael Young’s disco-inspired Roxanne chairs for Gufram placed in the center of the show, bold colors, and playful seating were strong themes throughout.
Michael Young’s Roxanne Chairs for Gufram
Another highlight was Steuart Padwick’s HaHa chairs, 2D versions of the classic Victorian Balloon Back Chair with a color palette taken from Tintin comics. Baines & Fricker and first-time exhibitor Wilful Ink brought similar exuberance with their surface pattern products.
Steuart Padwick’s HaHa Chairs
Craftsmanship
Making their Design London debut, Portuguese brand Branca drew much interest for its range of expertly crafted wooden furniture from local Portuguese producers. Demonstrating craftsmanship from the UK, London-based studio Carmen Constantine launched a new range of sculpted cabinets, the American Walnut collection; while East Sussex studio Binocular revealed its new Trisaurus desk lamps, made from pickled and gun-blued steel, English oak – also available in American Walnut.
Smeg – Dolce Stil Novo
Kitchen and Bathroom Launches
In the Kitchens, Bedrooms & Bathrooms section, leading Italian brand Smeg made its 100% Design debut to coincide with the launch of its new UK flagship Regents Street store. Their presentation combined designer appliances with its latest high-end range for architectural specifiers. Polish brand Concraft presented the Concraft Flexile, a new range of thin tiles for walls and floor, and Swiss specialist Küng Sauna launched its award-winning freestanding outside sauna at the show.
Küng Sauna
Vivian Di Marco, working with Italian bathroom designer Antonio Lupi Design, comments: “Our new products were noticed immediately, great response. We met many architects and designers, the quality of visitors was high and everyone was quite interested which we appreciate greatly!”
Antonio Lupi Design
Plants and Greenery
Highlighting a growing desire for the benefits of living plants in both, interiors and exterior spaces, the central bar, designed by Sally Hogarth, featured greenery supplied to specification by Patch cascading from geometric shapes suspended from the Olympia ceiling.
The Central Bar, Designed by Sally Hogarth
In Design & Build Wallbarn launched a new modular green roof system, while MOSSwall and Mobilane each showcased their organic, living walls and ceilings. In Emerging Brands, East London florist Grace & Thorn offered plant styling and fitting for offices.
MOSSwall
2018
100% Design returns to London Olympia from 19 – 22 September 2018. It has recently been announced that Heatherwick Studio and London-based architectural practice SPPARC have been appointed to transform the 130-year-old exhibition hall into a “world-leading arts, entertainment, exhibition, and experiential district”.
Cover Photo by Andy Ryan
Equinox Cabana by TUUCI
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